Jaipur, Oct 17 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Morpal Suman, the head of the Baran Panchayat Samiti, as its candidate for the upcoming Anta Assembly bypoll in Rajasthan.

Morpal, a local leader with a low-profile image, is considered a close aide of former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

He belongs to the Saini community, which plays a significant role in the constituency's caste equation -- a key factor in the BJP's selection process.

After prolonged internal deliberations, party leaders reached a consensus on Morpal's candidature. While Prabhulal Saini was also in the race for the ticket, the BJP eventually chose Morpal, aligning with feedback suggesting that fielding a Saini community candidate would be crucial in Anta's political dynamics.

The Anta seat fell vacant in May after sitting MLA Kanwarlal Meena, a staunch Vasundhara Raje supporter, was disqualified following his conviction in a 20-year-old case involving threatening an SDM with a pistol. By law, elections must be held within six months of a seat falling vacant.

The Congress party has fielded Pramod Jain Bhaya, a former minister, while Naresh Meena has entered the fray as an Independent candidate, setting the stage for a triangular contest.

According to the final electoral roll published on October 1, the Anta Assembly constituency has a total of 2,26,227 voters, including 1,15,982 men, 1,10,241 women, and four others. A total of 1,336 new voters were added during the recent voter list revision campaign. Anta has an overall electorate of 2.27 lakh.

Since the BJP came to power, by-elections have been held in seven Assembly seats.

The BJP won five, while Congress secured only one, marking a significant decline from the four seats it previously held.

The BJP's wins include Khinvsar, Deoli-Uniyara, Jhunjhunu, Ramgarh, and Salumbar, while the Congress was reduced to just one seat. Hanuman Beniwal's RLP also suffered losses. Though the outcome of the Anta by-election won't affect the stability of the state government, it holds symbolic importance.

A BJP win will be projected as a public endorsement of the government's performance, while a loss could offer the opposition ammunition to question the ruling party's popularity and governance.

/IANS