An Impactful Debut
In Rajasthan’s Barmer, the buzz is not so much about the two candidates from the mainstream parties, the BJP and the Congress, but about the independent candidate Ravinder Singh Bhati. The 27-year-old won as an Independent MLA from Sheo, which comes in the Barmer region and is now contesting the Lok Sabha election on the sheer strength of his own personality. The son of a local school teacher, Bhati has become a social media sensation with his reels going viral. specially amongst the youth of Rajasthan. He talks jobs, education and employment issues that hit an immediate chord with the young. In fact, Bhati is used to marching to his own beat; as a law student in Jodhpur’s Jai Narayan University he tried for a ticket from the ABVP but when he didn’t get one, he contested on his own and became the first independent president elected from Marwar’s largest university in 2019. As a student leader he led several protests against the then Ashok Gehlot government over fee hikes during Covid and also demanded reservations for youth in employment; and was also arrested for the same. This feisty youth’s election symbol is that of an apple, and going by his campaign rhetoric, this is one apple that will appeal to both the tech buffs and the agriculturists. Bhati is emerging as one of the faces to watch out for in the Lok Sabha 2024 elections.
Back to Base
Manvendra Singh, the son of BJP leader, the late Jaswant Singh is back within the saffron fold after a five-year stint in the Congress. Manvendra had joined the Congress in 2018 when his father had rebelled against the BJP and contested as an Independent candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A former MP from Barmer, Manvendra was at odds with former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, while in the BJP. And when he was with the Congress it was soon made clear that his candidature did not meet the approval of another former CM, Ashok Gehlot. In fact, the Gehlot-Raje famed equation that cuts across party lines probably worked against Manvendra. But now, with Raje not in the driver’s seat, Manvendra is back with the BJP. While he is not contesting the current polls due to a personal tragedy, there is little doubt that he will be playing some sort of a larger role in the state, in the post Raje scenario.
SIBLING SUSPENSE
Will Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contest from Uttar Pradesh? The suspense is because the Congress is yet to declare its candidates from Amethi and Rae Bareli. The local unit of the Congress is certain that Rahul at least will contest from Amethi, while Priyanka is expected to make an electoral debut from her mother’s former constituency, Rae Bareli. Certainly Smriti Irani has upped the ante by challenging Rahul to wrest his constituency back. If Rahul shies away from this fight then she wins the narrative and will not stop tom-tomming the fact that she drove a Gandhi away from his bastion. Moreover, with Wayanad as a “safety net” this is a fight that Rahul should undertake. As for Rae Bareli, that is another matter, for at stake is Priyanka’s political trajectory. One is not quite sure what role is planned for her by her brother and mother. If she contests (and wins) then she would emerge as a formidable voice for the Congress in the Lok Sabha. Even if both contest and lose, the electoral battle would keep the Gandhis (and hence the Congress) relevant in Uttar Pradesh. Given that this is a state that sends Prime Ministers to the Centre, both Rahul and Priyanka need to take a long hard call about Amethi and Rae Bareli.