Independent candidate Ravindra Singh enters Lok Sabha poll fray, Rajasthan's Barmer to witness triangular contest

Barmer (Rajasthan) [India], April 9 : Barmer Lok Sabha constituency is witnessing a triangular contest mainly among the BJP, Congress, and an independent candidate.
With 11 contenders eyeing seat, including Kailash Chaudhary from the BJP, Umedaram Beniwal from Congress, and independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati, the political arena has heated up.
Both major parties have mobilized their full strength to secure the seat. BJP candidate Kailash Chaudhary has initiated meetings from the CM to ministers to strategize 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.
In his statement, BJP candidate Kailash Chaudhary highlighted various schemes initiated by the Modi government, emphasizing 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," Chaudhary said.
He also criticized 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.
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 emphasized 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, Congress candidate Ummedaram Beniwal criticized 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.
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.