Who is Naresh Meena, Rajasthan Congress rebel arrested for slapping poll official

Naresh Meena, a Rajasthan independent candidate, was arrested on Thursday amid high drama for slapping an election official during bypolls in Tonk district. A Congress rebel, Naresh Meena was suspended by the grand old party over a dispute with the party’s candidate for the Deoli-Uniara Assembly bypoll.
Naresh Meena is no stranger to controversies. Even before he became infamous for slapping Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Amit Chaudhary outside a polling booth on Wednesday, the 44-year-old twice rebelled against the Congress over seats, including once before last year’s Rajasthan Assembly polls.
In the 2023 Assembly polls, Naresh Meena contested as an independent from Chhabra seat and got around 44,000 votes. While Meena got a significant number of votes, Congress candidate Karan Rathore lost to the BJP’s Pratap Singhvi by less than 7,000 votes from Chhabra.
Earlier this year, the Congress welcomed Naresh Meena again into the party before the Lok Sabha polls. But, he again kicked up a storm for Dausa, the Lok Sabha seat he was keen on contesting. However, this time, he agreed to back out, as per reports.
Naresh Meena faces 23 cases, of which action is pending in five of them.
Naresh Meena began his political career in the late 2000s. According to reports, he rose from student politics in Rajasthan and at that time, he met veteran BJP leader Kirodi Lal Meena and became his follower. Naresh Meena has participated in several rallies with Kirodi Lal Meena over the past couple of years and earned the nickname ‘Chhota Kirori’ from his supporters.
According to reports, Naresh Meena once cut a portion of his thumb with a sword and applied blood in the form of ’tilak’ on Kirodi Lal Meena’s forehead in 2017.
Naresh Meena has also been known as a huge supporter of Congress leader and former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot.
Naresh Meena wanted to contest from Deoli-Uniara, but instead, the Congress fielded its candidate, Kastor Chand Meena. Upset with the Congress’s decision, a disgruntled Naresh Meena then decided to contest as an Independent, with support from the Bharat Adivasi Party.
Bypolls to the Deoli-Uniara seat took place after Harish Chandra Meena, who was elected from this seat in 2018 and 2013 Assembly polls, won the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year.
Voting was held in seven seats in Rajasthan Assembly bypolls on Wednesday — Jhunjhunu, Dausa, Khinvsar, Chaurasi, Salumbar, and Ramgarh, apart from Deoli-Uniara.
On Wednesday, Naresh Meena was involved in a physical altercation with SDM Amit Chaudhary during the bypolls. The incident occurred outside a polling booth in Samravata village of Tonk, where Chaudhary was overseeing election procedures. Naresh Meena was caught on camera slapping the SDM, an act that led to widespread condemnation and demands for his arrest.
Following the incident, police attempted to arrest Naresh Meena, which triggered violent protests in Samravata village. Villagers intervened, leading to clashes with police, the burning of vehicles, and significant damage to private property.
The situation escalated to the point where Special Task Force (STF) units were deployed to restore order. After high drama, Naresh Meena, who initially refused to surrender, was arrested.
The Congress rebel has defended his action of slapping the SDM, alleging that he had previously harassed locals, including assaulting a woman, her husband, and a teacher, and forcing them to cast votes under threats.
He claimed that his supporters had been harassed since October 25, with his campaign posters being torn down and attempts made to prevent people from voting for him.