Jaipur, Oct 13 (IANS) The Election Commission of India has issued a notification announcing a bypoll to the 193 Anta Assembly Constituency in Rajasthan. The seat fell vacant on May 23 following the disqualification of Kanwarlal Meena.

According to the notification issued under Section 150(1), 30, and 56 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the schedule for the bypoll has been announced. The last date for filing nominations is October 21, while scrutiny of nominations will be done by October 23.

Similarly, the last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 27.

The polling date is November 11, and polling hours will be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The notification calls upon voters of the Anta Assembly Constituency to elect a representative to fill the vacant seat in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.

Kanwar Lal Meena was declared disqualified for membership of the Rajasthan Assembly on May 23 earlier this year, following his conviction in a 20-year-old criminal case.

Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani had disqualified him as an MLA with retrospective effect from May 2, when the Rajasthan High Court delivered its verdict on his appeal — thereby terminating his membership.

The Speaker had also declared the seat vacant under due intimation to the ECI. The Speaker’s ruling on disqualification (and subsequent termination) was delivered soon after the receipt of the Rajasthan Advocate General’s opinion in this case. He had sought legal opinion from the AG.

The case against Meena was filed in February 2005 for threatening at gunpoint the then SDM Ram Niwas Mehta (on February 3, 2005) to concede to his demand of re-polling in the election for Deputy Sarpanch in Khatakhedi village near Manohar Thana.

The lower trial court had acquitted Meena in the case. However, the ADJ Aklera in 2020 convicted and sentenced him to a 3-year jail term and a cash penalty of Rs 10,000.

Meena filed an appeal before the Rajasthan High Court, challenging the ADJ court’s verdict. The High Court dismissed his appeal on May 2, endorsing the punishment awarded by the lower court. He had tried to seek relief from the Supreme Court; however, his plea was rejected by the apex court.

The order for the bypoll was signed by Suman Kumar Das, Secretary, Election Commission of India, and published in the Rajasthan Gazette (Extraordinary) on Monday.

The Congress party has announced its candidate, Pramod Jain Bhaya, for the seat. BJP is yet to declare its candidate. Naresh Meena has decided to contest as an Independent. candidate

–IANS

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