Tonk: Hours after an independent candidate from the Deoli-Uniara seat in Tonk district, Naresh Meena, contesting after rebelling from the Congress slapped the SDM during voting in the afternoon, his supporters have taken to the streets to evade his arrest.
The by-elections for seven assembly seats in Rajasthan, including the Deoli-Uniara seat in Tonk district, took a violent turn on Wednesday, leaving the state grappling with a disturbing incident of assault on election duty officials and subsequent unrest.
The incident led to a tense standoff between Naresh Meena’s supporters and the police. When police arrived to take Naresh Meena into custody, his supporters erupted in fury, resulting in a chaotic scene. The police responded by firing tear gas shells to disperse the crowd and eventually apprehended Naresh Meena.
In the ensuing chaos, Naresh Meena’s supporters resorted to vandalism, fiercely attacking vehicles and setting some ablaze. This act of violence further escalated the tension and underlined the volatile situation in the region.
The ruckus began at a polling booth in Samrawata village, where villagers had announced a boycott of voting in support of their demand to bring the village under Uniara tehsil, closer to their location. As SDM Amit Chaudhary attempted to convince the villagers to participate in the election, Naresh Meena, who was allegedly supporting the boycott, slapped the official.
Tonk Collector Soumya Jha, the District Election Officer, confirmed the incident and highlighted the villagers’ demand for inclusion in Uniara tehsil. He stated that the villagers had raised this demand previously and were assured that the matter would be considered after the model code of conduct was lifted.
