Congress Suspends Naresh Meena Amid Rajasthan Bye-Polls Tension

The Congress has suspended Naresh Meena for contesting independently against the party’s official candidate in Rajasthan's Deoli Uniara bye-election. By-polls in seven Rajasthan constituencies will occur on November 13, with results on November 20. This election spans 15 states, across 48 assembly constituencies nationwide.

In a decisive move, Congress on Thursday announced the suspension of Naresh Meena, its dissident leader, for contesting the Deoli Uniara assembly bye-election as an independent candidate, directly opposing the party's nominated candidate.

The suspension was confirmed by Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Congress' Rajasthan in-charge, amidst the upcoming by-polls across seven key seats in the state, scheduled for November 13. The outcomes will be announced on November 20.

The urgency for these by-elections arose due to the deaths of two serving MLAs and the election of five others to the Lok Sabha, impacting crucial seats previously dominated by Congress and its ally, Bharat Adivasi Party, and those held by BJP and RLP.

This announcement follows the Election Commission of India's proclamation on October 15, detailing by-elections for 48 assembly constituencies and two parliamentary seats, aligning with the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls. While the first round of voting spans 47 assembly seats and the Wayanad parliamentary seat on November 13, the second round will cover Uttarakhand's Kedarnath constituency and Maharashtra's Nanded seat on November 20, with counting slated for November 23.

(With inputs from agencies.)