Barmer Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Ravindra Singh Bhati to give tough fight to BJP, Congress in poll battle

Barmer Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The Barmer-Jaisalmer seat in Rajasthan is being discussed in political corridors due to a tough triangular contest being witnessed here between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Congress and an Independent candidate, for the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Barmer Lok Sabha constituency is witnessing a triangular battle mainly among the BJP, Congress, and an independent candidate. With 11 contenders eyeing Barmer seat, the political arena has heated up.

How many candidates are in fray from Barmer?

Overall, there are 11 candidates in the fray including Kailash Choudhary from the BJP, Ummeda Ram Beniwal from the Congress and Independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati. The nomination of one candidate was rejected. Of the remaining 19 candidates, 8 have withdrawn their names, leaving 11 candidates in the fray on this seat.

Pointing at a similar triangular contest in 2014, veteran BJP leader Narayan Panchariya told media, “We are confident of repeating the story of 2014 yet again when there was a tough and triangular contest between Harish Chaudhary from the Congress, Colonel Sonaram Choudhary from the BJP and Independent candidate Jaswant Singh.

“Jaswant Singh was a strong figure at that time and the BJP had no strong schemes on the ground to count upon as it does today. The party won in those conditions too. Now, this time it is different.

“There are many policies of the Modi government which have been implemented on the ground and people see him as a world leader. So we will emerge as the winner on this seat."

It is worth noting that similar to 2014, this time also, there is a BJP government in the state.

Meanwhile, exuding faith in Beniwal, Congress General Secretary and Spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi said, “We have fielded Ummeda Ram Beniwal, who is a strong face in the Barmer belt. He lost Assembly polls to Congress candidate Harish Chaudhary while contesting from the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP). Now, he is a member of the Congress and his switch to the Congress from the RLP will bring in more votes, making him the winner."

Who is Independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati?

Further, the Independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati, who is a MLA from the Sheo constituency, is equally confident of his win and has been addressing huge gatherings. This 26-year-old has been promising employment generation and quality education in Barmer.

Independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati stressed the importance of addressing the demands of various sections of society and expressed confidence in the support of his constituency. He emphasised his commitment to fighting the election with integrity and focusing on local issues and development.

"There were many things behind contesting the elections, the main thing was the public order. A lot of people whom I consider as father figures, mother figures and sisters reached out to me to keep their demands ahead".

Drawing parallels of the current political scenario with that of 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Bhati said that "the competition will be good this time," adding that the whole parliamentary constituency will show faith in him in the upcoming elections.

Meanwhile, many star campaigners from the BJP and Congress are wooing the electorate in the districts of Barmer, Balotra, and Jaisalmer for the forthcoming elections.

BJP candidate Kailash Choudhary

Both major parties have mobilised their full strength to secure the seat. BJP candidate Kailash Choudhary has initiated meetings from the CM to ministers to strategise his campaign, while the political analysts anticipate a triangular struggle reminiscent of the 2014 elections. On the campaign trail, several star campaigners from both BJP and Congress are traversing the districts of Barmer, Balotra, and Jaisalmer, outlining their agendas to the electorate. 

Meanwhile, late-night rallies and gatherings for their respective candidates are also in full swing. BJP candidate Kailash Choudhary highlighted various schemes initiated by the PM Modi government, emphasising developments in agriculture and welfare sectors.

"The revolutionary steps that have been taken in the last ten years for women and youth. The people of the country have seen with their own eyes. That is why the people of the country are with Prime Minister Modi. The work done by the Central Government's scheme in Rajasthan is being seen on the ground," Choudhary said.

He also criticised the previous Congress government in Rajasthan for allegedly neglecting central government schemes.

"When there was a Congress government in Rajasthan, they did not allow the schemes of the Central Government to be implemented in the state", he said. 

Congress candidate Ummeda Ram Beniwal

Meanwhile, Congress candidate Ummeda Ram Beniwal criticised the BJP government for its alleged failure in fulfilling promises and addressing the grievances of farmers. He highlighted the rising inflation and claimed that the BJP administration has not delivered on its commitments. 

The Barmer constituency witnessed a similar triangular contest in the 2014 elections when former defense Minister Jaswant Singh contested as an independent candidate after being denied a ticket by BJP. However, he lost to the BJP candidate Colonel Sonaram Choudhary.

Former Foreign and Defense Minister Jaswant Singh Jasol wanted to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from the Barmer constituency. However, the party fielded Colonel Sonaram Choudhary, who had lost in the state assembly elections, as the BJP candidate for the Lok Sabha elections. This decision angered Jaswant Singh Jasol, and he rebelled against the party. He contested the Lok Sabha elections independently. Harish Choudhary from the Congress was also in the electoral fray .Jaswant Singh lost with 87,461 votes, and Sonaram Choudhary became the Member of Parliament.

How many voters are registered in Barmer constituency?

There are 2,26,237 voters in 8 Assembly constituencies of Barmer Lok Sabha seat and 20 candidates had filed 30 nominations.

Candidates fighting from Barmer seat

The final list of candidates contesting for the Barmer seat was released on Monday. These include Ummeda Ram Beniwal (Congress), Kailash Choudhary (BJP), Leela Ram (BSP), Prabhuram Goyal (Aazad Samaj Party) and Independents including Ravindra Singh Bhati, Tararam Mehna, Devi Lal Jain, among others.

When will Barmer vote? 

The 2024 elections in Barmer are scheduled for April 26. Rajasthan will go to the polls in two phases, on April 19 and April 26. Polling for 12 Lok Sabha seats will be held in the first phase on April 19, while the remaining 13 seats will be polled in the second phase on April 26. The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election. The counting of the votes will be held on June 4 (Tuesday). 

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