Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Jaipur, October 17 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made Baran Panchayat Samiti chief Morpal Suman its candidate for the upcoming Anta assembly by-election in Rajasthan.
Morpal, a local leader with a low-profile image, is considered close to former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
He belongs to the Saini community, which plays an important role in the caste equation of the constituency – a key factor in the BJP’s selection process.
After prolonged internal deliberations, party leaders reached a consensus on Morpal’s candidature. While Prabhulal Saini was also in the running for the ticket, the BJP ultimately chose Morpal, following feedback that fielding a candidate from the Saini community would be important in the political dynamics of the party.
The Anta seat had fallen vacant in May when sitting MLA Kanwarlal Meena, a staunch Vasundhara Raje supporter, was disqualified after being convicted in a 20-year-old case of threatening an SDM with a pistol. According to law, elections must be held within six months of the seat becoming vacant.
The Congress party has fielded former minister Pramod Jain Bhaya, while Naresh Meena has entered the fray as an independent candidate, creating a situation of a triangular contest.
According to the final voter list published on October 1, Anta assembly constituency has a total of 2,26,227 voters, which includes 1,15,982 men, 1,10,241 women and four others. A total of 1,336 new voters were added during the recent voter list revision drive. The total number of voters in Anta is 2.27 lakh.
By-elections have been held on seven assembly seats since BJP came to power.
The BJP won five seats, while the Congress won only one, significantly less than the earlier four seats.
BJP’s victory included Khinvsar, Deoli-Uniara, Jhunjhunu, Ramgarh and Salumber, while Congress was reduced to just one seat. Hanuman Beniwal’s RLP also suffered losses. Although the result of Anta by-election will not affect the stability of the state government, it has symbolic importance.
A BJP victory would be projected as a public endorsement of the government’s performance, while a defeat could give the opposition an opportunity to question the ruling party’s popularity and governance.
–IANS
arc/dpb