Independent, or far from one? A Union minister faces surprise challenger in Barmer

FROM Prime Minister Narendra Modi to multiple visits by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and state ministers, from former WWE wrestler Khali to actor and its Lok Sabha candidate Kangana Ranaut, and even a “non-political” programme by religious guru Dhirendra Shastri, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to ensure the re-election of Union minister Kailash Choudhary from Barmer.

On the ground, the contest seems tough, with Choudhary facing not just the Congress’s Ummeda Ram Beniwal, who has run a brisk campaign backed by the party, but also a growing challenge from 26-year-old Sheo MLA Ravindra Singh Bhati or “Ravsa”, as his supporters call him, who is a former BJP leader contesting as an Independent.

There is another undercurrent to the contest. The last time a Rajput won the Barmer Lok Sabha seat was 2004, when the BJP’s Manvendra Singh, son of its late founding member Jaswant Singh, was victorious. Some in the Rajput community, who have been watching the eclipsing of Vasundhara Raje in the BJP, feel Bhati has what it takes to be the next big face in Rajasthan politics. Both Choudhary and Beniwal are Jats.

While Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who is contesting from Jodhpur, is seen as the party’s tallest Rajput leader in Marwar, according to many members of the community, Bhati enjoys one advantage over him: “widespread acceptability beyond caste lines”.

Earlier this month, Bhati held a road show in faraway Bangalore – Lok Sabha seats falling under it also vote on April 26 – that drew hundreds. He has also held rallies in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Surat. His supporters say it is the help he provided to non-resident Rajasthanis during Covid and later which explains the spread of his reach.

Now,