Congress fields ex-Rajasthan minister Pramod Jain Bhaya for Anta bypoll

Jaipur, Oct 8 The Congress on Wednesday announced former minister Pramod Jain Bhaya as its candidate for the upcoming by-election in the Anta Assembly constituency of Rajasthan's Baran district.

The announcement has been made by Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal.

Bhaya, who lost to BJP’s Kanwar Lal Meena in the 2023 Assembly elections, has been renominated in an apparent move to gain a strategic edge by declaring its candidate ahead of the ruling party in the state.

The Anta seat became vacant after BJP legislator Kanwar Lal Meena, a known supporter of former CM Vasundhara Raje, was disqualified in May 2025 following his conviction in a 20-year-old case.

The case involved an incident where Meena was found guilty of pointing a pistol at an SDM during an official inspection.

According to the final voter list published on October 1, the Anta Assembly constituency has a total of 2,27,563 registered voters, including 1,15,982 male voters, 1,10,241 female voters and 4 voters in the 'other' category. During the recent voter list revision campaign, 1,336 new voters were added to the rolls in anticipation of the by-election.

Meanwhile, former Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot said: "Congratulations to former minister Pramod Jain Bhaya on being nominated as the candidate by the Congress Party for the by-election for the Anta Assembly seat. I am fully confident that with the blessings of the people, the Congress Party will win the Anta election by a huge margin.

"I call upon all workers and leaders of the Congress Party to gear up for this by-election and leave no stone unturned to ensure the party's victory."

The political dynamics in Anta are expected to intensify in the coming weeks, with the by-election shaping up to be a closely watched three-way contest.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in the final stages of deliberation and is expected to announce its candidate soon. Adding to the complexity, Naresh Meena has also announced to contest the polls as an Independent candidate, setting the stage for a likely triangular contest.

One of his supporters told IANS that he will file his nomination on October 14.

Within the BJP, several prominent names are under consideration. To steer the party’s campaign, the BJP has appointed MP Damodar Agarwal as the election in-charge for Anta.

A core committee meeting is expected soon, where the shortlisted names will be discussed. The committee will submit its report to the Central Election Committee, which will take the final decision on the candidate.

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