Jaipur, Nov 11 (IANS) Amid largely peaceful polling in the Anta assembly constituency on Tuesday, a new controversy unfolded when independent candidate Naresh Meena staged a sit-in protest on a muddy road in Sankali village, where villagers boycotted voting over local development issues.

According to officials, voters were not allowed to carry mobile phones inside polling stations as per Election Commission guidelines.

In Sankali village, locals boycotted voting, demanding the construction of a road and a cremation ground. Naresh Meena reached the spot in solidarity with the villagers and joined their protest in the muddy area.

The demonstration ended after discussions with the administrative officials. Meena told the villagers that he was well aware of their problems and would make resolving these issues his top priority if elected as MLA.

He accused the administration of being lenient toward BJP leaders while the police were targeting his supporters.

Meena also alleged that a large amount of cash and liquor was seized from Congress leaders, but no strict action had been taken against them.

A total of 15 candidates are in the fray for the Anta assembly seat, with a three-way contest expected between BJP’s Morpal Suman, Congress’s Pramod Jain Bhaya, and independent candidate Naresh Meena. 227,563 registered voters are casting their votes across 268 polling stations.

Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed at sensitive booths. Voting will continue until 6 p.m., after which all EVMs will be stored in a strong room in Baran. High voter enthusiasm was observed, particularly among women and first-time voters.

Several senior citizens also exercised their franchise with assistance, some arriving in wheelchairs. By 3 p.m., voter turnout stood at 64.68 per cent across the constituency.

Naresh Meena is a Congress rebel who is contesting as an independent in this election. During the recent assembly polls in 2023, he triggered controversy by slapping an SDM and was sent to bars.

–IANS

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