ANTA: Vote counting for the Anta Assembly by-election in Rajasthan began on Friday amid tight security arrangements. Election officials started the process early in the day, following standard protocol with sealed machines and documents handled under CCTV supervision. Polling for the seat was conducted earlier this week, with results expected by Friday afternoon. According to the Election Commission, the by-election saw a high voter turnout of 79.32%. A total of 268 polling stations were set up for 2,27,563 registered voters, with police teams and CAPF units deployed at sensitive and critical booths to ensure smooth voting.The contest features Congress candidate and former minister Pramod Jain Bhaya, BJP’s Morpal Suman, and independent candidate Naresh Meena, making it a triangular fight. Early trends now show Congress’s Pramod Jain ‘Bhaya’ leading against IND candidate Naresh Meena.
| Candidates | Party | Result |
| Pramod Jain ‘Bhaya’ | Congress | Leading |
| Naresh Meena | IND | Trailing |
| Morpal Suman | BJP | Trailing |
The bypoll was necessitated after BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena lost his membership due to a court conviction in a 2005 case involving alleged assault and damage to government property. In the 2023 Assembly elections, Meena had won the seat, but his conviction led to the vacancy and the subsequent by-election. Despite initial apprehensions of unrest, voting concluded largely peacefully across the constituency. However, residents of Sakli village boycotted the polls, citing years of administrative neglect and unfulfilled demands, including road access to the crematorium, farm pathways, pond development, and a proper playground.
