With the Anta Assembly bypoll in Rajasthan round the corner, the Opposition Congress has launched an intensive, micro-level campaign to reclaim lost ground. The party has deployed leaders across mandals, booths and villages based on caste and community dynamics to maximise its outreach to voters. .
After losing five Assembly bypolls lasy year, the Congress is determined to reverse its fortunes. The Anta seat has now become a prestige battle fo the party — both to challenge the ruling BJP and to boost the morale of its cadre.
To mobilise voters across various social segments — including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, and upper caste communities — the Congress has sent some 30 leaders known for their connection and influence with the local communities for door-to-door campaign. Additionally, members of the Youth Congress, Mahila Congress, and Congress Seva Dal have been assigned responsibilities at the grassroots level.
Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa campaigns for BJP candidate Morpal Suman. (X/@DrPremBairwa)
Rajasthan Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi said, “We have made a plan to connect with community-specific voters. Senior leaders including Govind Singh Dotasra, Sachin Pilot, and Tikaram Jully will visit the area soon. Our leaders are going door-to-door and have been given the responsibility to connect with voters from their own communities through meetings at the village and mandal levels.”
Former minister Shakuntala Rawat, MLA Ashok Chandna, and Prahlad Gunjal (former Congress candidate from the Kota-Bundi Lok Sabha constituency) have been tasked with reaching out to Gujjar voters, while minority leaders Amin Pathan, a prominent leader from Kota and state president of the Congress Sports Cell, along with MD Chopdar, president of the Congress Minority Department, and several other Muslim leaders, have been told to focus on Muslim-dominated areas.
For the general category voters, senior MLAs Harimohan Sharma, Pushpendra Bhardwaj, former MLA Poonam Goyal, and Preeti Shaktawat have been given charge. To mobilise Scheduled Caste voters, MLA CL Premi, former MLA Panachand Meghwal, and former minister Mamta Bhupesh are leading the outreach.
Meanwhile, the BJP has also intensified its campaign. The party has appointed Dushyant Singh, MP from Jhalawar-Baran and son of former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, as the election in-charge, as the Anta Assembly constituency falls within his Lok Sabha seat. The BJP’s campaign committee includes two MPs, nine MLAs, and two ministers, signalling the importance the party attaches to the seat.
Created in 2008, Anta is a general category seat where Pramod Jain Bhaya has been the Congress choice in every election, including the current bypoll. Since its creation, the seat has swung between the Congress and BJP, with Bhaya, a Jain leader from Baran district, winning in 2008 and 2018.
The by-election was necessitated after the disqualification of sitting BJP MLA Kanwarlal Meena this May under the Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1951, after he was found guilty under IPC Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant), 506 (criminal intimidation), and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act in a 20-year-old case.
In 2005, demanding a re-poll in a sarpanch election in Manohar Thana, Jhalawar, Meena had threatened then RAS officer Ram Niwas Mehta with a revolver.
The BJP has fielded Morpal Suman, the sitting Pradhan of Baran Panchayat Samiti from the Mali community — a pick party leaders said was aimed at projecting a local face.
BJP sources said that while AAP’s backing is symbolically significant, it may have limited electoral impact. In the 2023 Assembly polls, AAP’s candidate Om Prakash Gochar had secured only 1,334 votes, about 0.76% of the total in Anta. However, Kejriwal’s endorsement could help Naresh Meena consolidate anti-establishment votes and reshape the campaign narrative.
The Anta by-election will see 15 candidates in the fray. Voting is scheduled for November 11, with results to be declared on November 14. BJP rebel Rampal Meghwal has withdrawn his nomination, making the contest primarily between Congress’s Pramod Jain Bhaya, BJP’s Morpal Suman, and independent Naresh Meena.