
JAIPUR: BJP legislator Kanwarlal Meena has been officially disqualified from the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly after being sentenced to three years in prison for pointing a pistol at a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM). The Assembly Secretariat issued a formal notification confirming his disqualification which will be effective from May 1.
The decision came after Speaker Vasudev Devnani sought legal opinion from the state’s Advocate General and senior legal experts. A notice had been issued to Meena asking whether he had secured any relief from the Supreme Court regarding a stay on his sentence. With no stay granted, the Speaker moved forward with the termination of Meena’s membership.
A review petition filed by Meena is currently pending before the Supreme Court. The possibility of a by-election for the Anta seat will depend on the apex court’s verdict.
Despite the notification, the opposition has criticized the delay in action for disqualify ing the BJP legislator. Congress State President Govind Singh Dotasara and Leader of Opposition Tikaram Julie both accused the Speaker of dragging his feet under political pressure.
In a post on X, Dotasara wrote, “Satyamev Jayate. After immense pressure from the Congress Party and Leader of Opposition Tikaram Julie's contempt petition in the Supreme Court, the membership of convicted BJP MLA Kanwarlal Meena had to be canceled. The Constitution is supreme in a democracy. We will continue reminding the RSS-BJP leadership of this truth.”
Tikaram Julie alleged that attempts were made to shield Meena following the Rajasthan High Court's decision to uphold the three-year sentence. “Our fight was to protect the dignity of the Constitution and the Assembly’s procedures,” he said. “The Speaker unnecessarily delayed the decision. Kanwarlal Meena remained an MLA even while serving jail time, which has brought disgrace to the Assembly.”
Speculations on Anta by-election candidates have already begun. With Meena’s disqualification, political speculation has begun over potential candidates for a possible by-election in the Anta constituency.
One name doing the rounds is that of Naresh Meena, a young leader currently in jail for allegedly slapping the SDM. A native of Chhabra—geographically close to Anta—Naresh is being viewed as a potential BJP contender if a by-election is held.