What is the latest notification from the ECI regarding Rajasthan's Anta Assembly seat?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- ECI announces bypoll for Anta Assembly seat.
- Vacancy due to Kanwarlal Meena's disqualification.
- Nominations close on October 21.
- Polling to take place on November 11.
- Congress has declared its candidate.
Jaipur, Oct 13 (NationPress) The Election Commission of India has formally announced a by-election for the 193 Anta Assembly Constituency located in Rajasthan. This seat became vacant on May 23 due to the disqualification of Kanwarlal Meena.
As per the notification issued under Section 150(1), 30, and 56 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the timeline for the by-election has been laid out. The final date for submitting nominations is October 21, with the scrutiny of these nominations scheduled for October 23.
The deadline for withdrawing candidacy is set for October 27.
The polling is set to take place on November 11, with voting hours from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This notification urges the voters from the Anta Assembly Constituency to select a representative to occupy the vacant position in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.
Kanwar Lal Meena was disqualified from membership in the Rajasthan Assembly on May 23 this year, following his conviction in a 20-year-old criminal case.
The Assembly Speaker, Vasudev Devnani, retroactively disqualified him as an MLA from May 2, after the Rajasthan High Court upheld the verdict on his appeal, effectively terminating his membership.
The Speaker also officially declared the seat as vacant, informing the ECI. This decision was made after receiving legal advice from the Rajasthan Advocate General.
The case against Meena originated in February 2005, involving a threat at gunpoint directed at the then SDM Ram Niwas Mehta, demanding a re-poll in the election for Deputy Sarpanch in Khatakhedi village near Manohar Thana.
Although the lower trial court had acquitted Meena, he was later convicted and sentenced to a 3-year jail term and a fine of Rs 10,000 by the ADJ Aklera in 2020.
Meena contested this ruling in the Rajasthan High Court, but his appeal was dismissed on May 2, confirming the punishment. His attempt to seek relief from the Supreme Court was also unsuccessful.
The order for the by-election was signed by Suman Kumar Das, Secretary of the Election Commission of India, and published in the Rajasthan Gazette (Extraordinary) on Monday.
The Congress party has already declared its candidate, Pramod Jain Bhaya, while the BJP has yet to announce its candidate. Naresh Meena has opted to run as an Independent candidate.