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Jaipur, October 14 (IANS) Independent candidate Naresh Meena on Tuesday filed his nomination papers for the upcoming by-election on Anta assembly seat in Rajasthan’s Baran district. At exactly 12.10 pm, Meena reached the SDM office in Anta along with his wife, children, parents and hundreds of supporters. He submitted his nomination to Returning Officer Hawa Singh. In a sign of humility and symbolism, Meena and her entire family later bowed before the public and said, “Consider this my obeisance at the feet of the people of Anta – I seek your blessings.” Now launching a scathing attack on former minister Pramod Jain Bhaya, who was made the Congress candidate in the Anta by-election, Meena accused him of gross corruption during his tenure. Meena alleged, “The people of Anta gave power to Pramod Jain Bhaya twice. When he was in power, he indulged in corruption openly. And when he lost, he did not protest or raise a single issue for the public. He failed in both governance and opposition.” Referring to her own activism, Meena said, “In 2023, I had demonstrated at the Collectorate for the rights of farmers. After that, not a single farmer had to stand in line for fertilizer. But today those problems have come back. Illegal mining of gravel is taking place. Contractors are earning huge profits, yet the people of Anta are forced to buy gravel at high prices. I will crack down on this.” He further said that he will stand with the farmers struggling with fertilizer shortage, support price issues, water and electricity problems and inadequate roads in rural areas. Naresh Meena was born in 1979 in Naya village of Atru tehsil of Baran district. Both his father Kalyan Singh and mother have been Sarpanch of the village. His wife Sunita Meena is a former Zilla Parishad member and his brother’s wife has served in the Panchayat Samiti. Meena’s nomination comes after Congress candidate Pramod Jain Bhaya filed his nomination on October 13. BJP has not yet announced its candidate for the by-election. Naresh Meena, who was jailed for slapping a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) during the Deoli-Uniara by-election in 2024, was released from Tonk jail on Monday after eight months of custody. While he had earlier got bail in the slapping case, the Rajasthan High Court on July 11 granted him bail in the Samravata violence case, paving the way for his release. The Election Commission has announced by-election for Anta assembly seat of Baran district. Voting will take place on November 11 and the results will be declared on November 14. This seat had become vacant after the resignation of Kanwarlal Meena, a supporter of former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. –IANS arch/dpb