Barmer Rajasthan Lok Sabha Election Result 2024: Congress' Ummeda Ram Beniwal leads vs independent candidate; BJP trails at No. 3

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI) website as of 3:40 pm, Umeeda Ram Beniwal from the Congress party was leading independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati by 90,467 votes, while BJP's Minister of State Kailash Choudhary was trailing at number three by a significant margin of 3,60,754 votes.

Intriguing battle
The Barmer constituency saw a heated campaign from Umeeda Ram Beniwal of the Congress party, Union minister Kailash Choudhary, and 26-year-old independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati, who won the assembly polls from the Sheo constituency in 2023.

What happened in 2019

In the 2019 elections, BJP’s Kailash Choudhary secured a vote share of 59.52%, defeating Congress party’s Manvendra Singh, who received 36.75% of the total votes polled.

2014 outcome
Similarly, in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP candidate Sona Ram won the seat, defeating independent candidate Jaswant Singh with a vote share of 40.09% against Singh's 32.92%.

BJP's power-packed campaigning
To maintain its stronghold in the constituency, the BJP deployed several star campaigners advocating for a 'double-engine' government, promising the implementation of both state and centrally sponsored schemes.

Exit polls enigma
Despite being favoured by exit polls, Ravindra Singh Bhati campaigned on issues such as electricity, education, water scarcity, and improved mobile connectivity, emphasizing the inadequate power supply despite Barmer being a major electricity provider.

Bhati had sought a ticket from the Bharatiya Janata Party initially, but the party continued to support its incumbent MP Kailash Choudhary. The Barmer Lok Sabha seat went to polls in the second phase on April 26, recording a voter turnout of 85.70%.

All about Barmer constituency
The constituency comprises approximately 6 lakh voters from the Other Backward Community, over 4 lakh SC and ST voters combined, 4 lakh Jat voters, 2.5 lakh Muslim voters, and over 3 lakh Rajput voters.

Congress candidate Benniwal, hailing from the Rajput community, focused on traditional party voters, including Dalits and Muslims, to secure a favorable electoral arithmetic in the constituency.