Anta bypoll in Raj: 47% polling until 1 pm; Sankali villagers boycott voting

An estimated 47 per cent of 2.28 lakh voters cast their votes till 1 pm in the bye-election to the Anta assembly segment of Baran district of Rajasthan on Tuesday.

Barring a poll boycott call by denizens of Sankali village, the polling was progressing smoothly.

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The polling on 268 polling centers began at 7 am at a modest note and gained pace later, recording 5.25 percent turnout in the first two hours and estimated 47 per cent by 01:00(afternoon). Women, youth and elderly voters turned out at polling booths in big numbers to exercise their franchise.

The otherwise smooth polling process was marred by villagers of Sankali village who boycotted polling for the unfulfilled demand of repairing of the approach roads to their village.

The denizens of the village that has around 800 eligible voters had conveyed in writing to the district administration that they would not cast votes for want of proper approach roads to the village.

The authorities this morning went to Sankali to persuade them to cast votes but they did not relent, in want of written commitment from officials, though the efforts pursuance were on till 1300hrs, an election office spokesman said.

The by-election on this assembly seat of the South Eastern Rajasthan, is necessitated following disqualification of BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena in an old criminal case.

The voting is to lock into EVMs the fate of 15 contestants including Morpal Suman (BJP), Pramod Jain Bhaya (Congress), Naresh Meena (IND).