Hindustan Times (Ranchi)

Convention­al vote bank shift benefitted Cong in Barmer in just concluded Lok Sabha polls

BARMER: In a significan­t electoral shift in the Barmer seat, the realignmen­t of convention­al vote banks benefitted Congress, enabling a comeback after a decade and preventing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from achieving a hat-trick.

The ruling BJP failed to maintain its convention­al vote bank of Rajput and OBC, which voted independen­t candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati, who despite losing the election, emerged as a prominent leader. On the other hand, the Congress this time successful­ly retained its traditiona­l vote banks of Jats, Muslims, and Dalits, securing a decisive victory at this seat.

This time, the Barmer parliament­ary seat witnessed a triangular contest between BJP’s Kailash Chaudhary, Congress candidate Ummedaram Beniwal and BJP rebel Ravindra Singh Bhati.

On Tuesday, the Congress candidate secured victory by bagging 704,676 votes. His rival independen­t Ravindra Singh Bhati secured 586,500 votes. The BJP candidate bagged 286,733 votes.

According to a political expert, the Barmer Lok Sabha seat is traditiona­lly considered a Congress stronghold.

Rakesh Sharma, a political observer, said: ”The reason behind Congress’s stronghold on this seat is the support of its convention­al vote bank, which includes Jats, Muslims, and SC/ST communitie­s. Whenever there is a shift in these convention­al voters, Congress loses the battle, and BJP emerges victorious.”

In 2009, despite being the candidate of the BJP, Manvendra Singh secured significan­t support from Muslims, which paved the way for BJP’s entry at this seat for the first time.

In the 2014 elections, Congress turncoat and BJP candidate Colonel Sonaram Choudhary made a dent in Congress’s traditiona­l Jat vote bank and won the seat.

A similar trend was observed in 2019 when Kailash Choudhary won with support from the Jats for BJP.

Sharma pointed out that this time, the seat not only witnessed a significan­t electoral shift but also observed a realignmen­t of convention­al voters. In the past two elections, BJP remained victorious by making inroads into Congress’s Jat vote bank.

But, this time, the Jat vote bank returned to Congress, contributi­ng to its victory, he added.

He further said: “The BJP also failed to maintain its convention­al vote bank among Rajputs, OBCs, and general communitie­s. BJP’s rebel Ravindra Singh Bhati not only secured substantia­l support from Rajputs but also made significan­t inroads into the OBC and general communitie­s, further whittling the BJP’s position.”