Rajasthan: Congress' Pramod Jain Bhaya leads in Anta bypoll

Jaipur: Congress candidate Pramod Jain Bhaya appeared to be inching towards victory in the Anta assembly constituency in Rajasthan's Baran district with a margin of 13,434 votes after 15 out of 20 rounds of counting were completed on Friday.

Bhaya secured 55,689 votes, while the ruling BJP candidate Morpal Saman trailed with 42,255 votes.

Independent candidate Naresh Meena, a Congress rebel, was in the third position winning 41,396 votes.

A total of 15 candidates were in the fray.

With Bhaya's victory almost certain, state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra and Leader of Oppostion Tikaram Jully called and congratulated him.

In Baran, the Congress candidate said he was confident of winning this time.

"In the assembly elections, the BJP misled people with false promises. But this time, I am confident that people will give me their blessings," he told reporters.

In the 2023 assembly elections, Bhaya had lost Anta to BJP's Kanwar Lal Meena with a margin of 5,861 votes.

The bypoll was necessitated after Meena was disqualified following his conviction in a criminal case.

In the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly, the BJP holds 118 seats, the Congress 66, the Bharat Adivasi Party 4, BSP 2 and RLD 1, while the Anta seat has been vacant.