Congress rebel and independent candidate Naresh Meena allegedly slapped a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) after an argument with him amid bypolls in Rajasthan's Deoli Uniara assembly seat on Wednesday. Meena walked into a polling booth when he attacked SDM Amit Choudhary, who was on duty to oversee election protocol. A video shows policemen trying to stop Meena.
The Congress unit in Rajasthan had suspended Meena for contesting as an independent candidate against the party's official nominee in the Deoli Uniara bypolls. Meena filed his nomination after he was denied a ticket by the Congress, which instead chose KC Meena as its candidate in the bypolls.
Elections are being held in seven Assembly seats, including Jhunjhunu, Dausa, Deoli-Uniara, Khinvsar, Chorasi, Salumber and Ramgarh. The 200-member Rajasthan Assembly is led by the BJP with 114 seats, while Congress holds 65 seats. Voting for these seven seats will continue till 6 pm. The counting of votes will take place on November 23.
Out of the seven seats where voting is being held today, four are with the Congress. Two of the bypolls are being held due to the demise of the sitting MLAs -- Congress MLA Zubair Khan in Ramgarh and Salumbar's BJP MLA Amritlal Meena. In the remaining five constituencies, the MLAs were elected as MPs in the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year, necessitating the bypolls.