Barmer: Where The Entry Of This Independent Candidate Has Made It A Triangular Contest

Ravindra Singh Bhati, former BJP leader and independent MLA from Rajasthan's Sheo constituency, has filed his nomination from the Barmer Lok Sabha seat.

That puts Bhati in direct contention against BJP leader and Union Minister Kailash Choudhary and the Congress' Ummeda Ram.

Bhati had joined the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections in October last year, and was expecting a ticket from Sheo assembly constituency.

However, after he was denied the ticket, he chose to contest as an independent candidate and won the Sheo assembly seat by defeating Congress veteran leader Amin Khan.

The Barmer Lok Sabha seat comprises the area of Barmer, Balotra, and Jaisalmer districts of Rajasthan.

Currently, Kailash Choudhary from the BJP is the Member of Parliament from this constituency. Despite opposition from some quarters, BJP re-nominated Choudhary from Barmer.

On the other hand, the Congress candidate Ummeda Ram Beniwal is an import from the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party of Hanuman Beniwal.

The entry of Ravindra Bhati has turned the Barmer election into a triangular contest.

Who is Ravindra Singh Bhati?

The 26-year-old Bhati hails from Dudhoda village of Barmer district and belongs to the Rajput community.

Bhati initiated his political journey through student politics at the Jai Narain Vyas University (JNVU), Jodhpur

After RSS student wing ABVP refused to give him a ticket in 2019, he contested independently and secured victory as the inaugural independent student union president in JNVU's 57-year history.

During his tenure, he is said to have garnered popularity for prioritising numerous student concerns, including addressing fee issues amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He was also jailed multiple times in the period.

Joining Mainstream Politics

He subsequently joined the BJP in 2023.

However, after he was denied a ticket from the Sheo assembly constituency, he contested independently and won, marking the first independent win in his constituency's history.

Bhati attained the distinction of becoming the youngest MLA in the 2023 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly elections on his 26th birthday on 3 December 2023, alongside Anshuman Singh Bhati.

For the current contest, Bhati has managed to draw attention to his campaign. A large crowd was seen accompanying him on the day he filed his nomination.

The Barmer-Jaisalmer region sees the Jat and the Rajput communities competing with each other for political dominance. In the current election, Bhati is seen as gaining from the fact that both the BJP and Congress candidates belong to the Jat community, leaving Bhati to project himself as the lone Rajput challenger to alleged Jat dominance.

Barmer votes in the second phase of 26 April and remains one of the seats to watch out for in Rajasthan.