Who is Ravindra Bhati, 26-yr-old Rajput rebel raising a ‘desert storm’ in Rajasthan’s Barmer

Barmer: On a hot, humid afternoon in Rajasthan’s Chohtan, a township about 50 km from Barmer, shopkeepers sported yellow scarves featuring images of an apple, while loud music and chants of “Bhati, Bhati” filled the air. People began to gather in queues, forming a long chain, with many who could not find a place climbing up the rooftops of buildings. They all wanted to catch a glimpse of Ravindra Bhati, independent candidate from Barmer Lok Sabha constituency.

“Bhati Dilli jayega, lal batti layega (Bhati will go to Delhi, bring back a red light),” the crowd erupted as soon as he emerged to wave at them from the rooftop of his car.

An up-and-coming Rajput leader and an MLA, 26-year-old Bhati and his election symbol—the apple—command instant recognition in this part of Rajasthan.

Following just a week-long stint in the BJP, he quit the party ahead of the 2023 assembly polls after he was denied a ticket, fighting the election independently from Sheo assembly constituency in Barmer district. His rallies and roadshows attracted huge crowds, particularly youth, and he clinched victory with a vote-share of over 31 per cent.

Ravindra Bhati waves at the crowd during a rally | Instagram/@ravindrabhati_9

Now, for the Lok Sabha elections, Bhati is taking on BJP leader and Union minister Kailash Choudhary and Congress’s Ummeda Ram Beniwal. Both contenders are from the Jat community, a significant voting bloc in Barmer constituency, where polls are scheduled on 26 April. Bhati’s aides call him a “desert storm” and his supporters compare him to Sachin Pilot.

But Ravindra Bhati downplays such parallells. “Mai Ravindra Singh Bhati hu, aur mai mai hee theekh hu (I’m Ravindra Bhati and I am fine being just that). Sachinji is a big leader and I cannot compete with him,” he told ThePrint.

But Bhati’s ascent as a mass leader has been remarkable, featuring multiple setbacks followed by victories. And he is quick to point out that unlike Sachin Pilot, he comes from a “simple, modest, and low-profile family”, with a schoolteacher father and homemaker mother.

“I come from a non-political background with no political godfather. Due to this, I always remained empty-handed as far as being given a ticket is concerned,” he said.

Many in the constituency are pinning their hopes on Bhati, especially amid anti-incumbency against two-time MP Choudhary. However, others, like the incumbent MP, question how he manages to pull together such huge rallies. “Those who are accusing me of bringing paid crowds have many agencies under them so why don’t they get it investigated and the truth will come out,” Bhati said.

 

Student politics to Lok Sabha leap

Fondly known as ‘Ravsa’ to his peers, Ravindra Bhati kicked off his political innings in 2019, when he won the president’s post in the students’ union election at Jodhpur’s Jai Narain Vyas University. He had run as an independent candidate after being refused a ticket by the BJP’s student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

A similar scenario unfolded in 2023 when the BJP overlooked him in favour of Swaroop Singh Khara, the party’s Barmer district president, to contest the assembly election from the Sheo assembly seat. Undeterred, Bhati rebelled and ran as an independent candidate, coming out first. Khara ended up coming a distant fourth in that election.

According to BJP sources, Bhati had also lobbied for a ticket for the Lok Sabha polls, but the party picked incumbent MP Kailash Choudhary as its Barmer candidate.

“Ek pandit ne kaha tha teri kismat mai nirdaliya waala yog hai toh (A Pandit told me once I was fated to be without a party)…I tried with parties but did not get a ticket due to circumstances,” Bhati said.

Despite this fraught history, speculation is rife that Bhati is playing the long game and may rejoin the BJP if he wins. “Depending on the circumstances a decision will be made,” he said. “It is the people who will decide.”

Chohtan residents perched on JCBs eagerly await the chance to shower Ravindra Bhati’s cavalcade with flower petals | Photo: Devesh Singh | ThePrint

Across Barmer, there are now billboards and hoardings plastered with Bhati’s images. His roadshow on 17 April, slated to be a half-hour jaunt over 1 km, stretched to over two hours as crowds thronged to meet him.

Amid a sea of yellow flags and scarves, Bhati’s supporters swarmed around him as he exited his car, physically carrying him aloft for nearly 100 metres to his election office. Young men and women, senior citizens, and even children patiently waited for his arrival in the scorching heat, some perched upon JCBs to shower flower petals on his cavalcade as it passed. Bhati didn’t disappoint the crowd and slowed down the roadshow to meet as many people as possible.

Bhati’s candidacy has become such a hot topic that people are discussing it not just in Barmer and Jaisalmer, but also Jodhpur and other neighbouring districts.

Bane for BJP, boon for Congress?

Leaders across political parties concur that Bhati has altered the playing field in Barmer constituency, which also encompasses parts of Jaisalmer district. While Congress sources say they expect him to dent the BJP’s votes, the BJP is countering his influence by showcasing prominent Rajput figures in its campaign.

“To woo Jat voters, both BJP and Congress have fielded Jat candidates, but Bhati of the Rajput community has changed all the equations,” said a Congress leader from Barmer.

The Barmer Lok Sabha constituency has an electorate of approximately 22 lakh voters. Jats account for 4.5 lakh voters, SC-STs 4 lakh, Rajputs 3 lakh and Muslims 2.7 lakh, according to the Congress leader. In addition, OBCs account for 6.5 lakh voters.

A Congress stronghold between 1964 and 1999, barring the 1977 and 1989 elections, this seat saw the BJP take control for the first time in 2004. The Congress captured it again in 2009, but subsequent victories in 2014 and 2019 went to Kailash Choudhary of the BJP.

Political posters on shopfronts in Chohtan, Barmer | Devesh Singh | ThePrint

A strategically important constituency since it borders Pakistan, Barmer has seen aggressive campaigning from the BJP this election, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, and several state ministers having already canvassed here.

Concerned about the overwhelming response to Bhati’s roadshows, the BJP has also inducted late party leader Jaswant Singh’s son Manvendra Singh — an influential Rajput leader who had been with the Congress —to improve its prospects in the constituency, party sources said. Singh joined the party during PM Modi’s rally in Barmer earlier this month.

Speaking to ThePrint, Manvendra Singh acknowledged that Bhati posed a “challenge” in Barmer and also expressed surprise that the latter had decided to contest independently despite discussions with BJP leaders.

“A well-done independent machine can shake up established political systems especially in the social media era,” Singh said. “As far as Ravindra Bhati is concerned, I know the family well. I was asked to intervene and spend time with him, and after meeting the BJP leaders he told me he was not contesting elections, so I was surprised when he threw his hat in the ring.”

Manvendra Singh at a temple in Rajasthan’s Balotra | Photo: Devesh Singh | ThePrint

Manvendra Singh at a temple in Rajasthan’s Balotra | Photo: Devesh Singh | ThePrint

According to Manoj Gujar, a senior political expert from Rajasthan, Bhati is likely to affect the BJP more than the Congress, predicting a Jat vs Rajput clash on the seat.

“Before delimitation, Rajput candidates used to win as Balesar, Shergarh, and Pokhran areas used to be in Barmer. After delimitation, Jat candidates started winning,” he said. “This time, you will witness a clash between Rajputs and Jats on this seat. The Congress may have an advantage as Jats usually have a tendency to go with the hawaa (where the majority votes are going). Bhati may end up hurting the BJP vote bank more as he is getting the support of the Rajput community and some of the ‘mool’ OBC vote too.”

Meanwhile, both the BJP and Congress candidates exude confidence.

“The BJP has failed to deliver and Bhati will only create a dent in BJP’s votes,” said Congress candidate Ummeda Ram Beniwal. “I am getting the support of the Jats as well as other communities.”

And while some call Bhati a desert storm, the BJP’s Kailash Chaudhari dismisses him as a mirage, alleging that the rallies are populated by “outsiders”.

“The people of Barmer know what work has been done. The public will vote based on PM Modi’s track record because they know he has transformed the country. The crowd has to convert votes, and in reality, the crowds in his rallies are all from outside,” he claimed.

 

High hopes & anti-incumbency

Anti-incumbency sentiments are running high in Barmer, with MP Choudhary even imploring voters not to “punish Modiji for my shortcomings” at a rally last week. In this context, Bhati’s supporters describe him as a ray of hope.

“They say he is bringing paid crowds, but you see yourself how excited and charged the people are,” said Khemraj Darji, a resident of Chohtan in Barmer constituency. “We gave enough time to the sitting MP but got no results. We have no issue with the BJP or PM Modi, but the MP needs to go. The current MP is not even providing us basic facilities. How will we grow if we don’t even have basic education facilities?”

Darji added that Bhati seemed to be someone who is “always available”, while another resident, Purvi, said that the voters were ready to take a chance on someone new who promised to deliver.

While Bhati’s caste identity is a major part of his campaign, he is also focusing on constituency-specific issues such as water and education, and claiming that “36 communities” are backing him. “(Political opponents) are getting in magicians and actors because they have done no work to speak of,” he said at the Chohtan roadshow.

Attendees of Ravindra Bhati’s Chohtan roadshow | Photo: Devesh Singh | ThePrint

“My fight is not with anyone, I have people’s complete support,” he said. “The fight (between BJP and Congress) is for the second position because everyone knows who will be the first,” the youth leader told ThePrint.

Even as rumours swirl of Bhati getting funding from “outside”, his aides say the campaign is powered organically by small donations from his immediate circle and youth supporters.

Huge crowds have been packing Ravindra Bhati’s political gatherings in Barmer | Photo: Instagram/@ravindrabhati_9

“National parties have a system, people, and cadres. He only had his friends, classmates and relatives who decided to pitch in,” said an aide associated with Bhati’s campaign.

He added that some supporters were even offering free services out of their own volition, including a professional photographer/videographer.

“The moment this young photographer got to know that Bhati was looking for help, he decided to pitch in, but was told not to quit his job as we would be able to manage. After a few days, it was noticed that the photographer had not been reporting to his work and they later found him in Bhati’s campaign, clicking pictures,” the campaign aide claimed.

Similarly, he added, people have pitched in to help with cars, posters, billboards, and other expenses.

“Bhati may win or he may not, but he has created a desert storm in the state. From Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, whether you travel by train, flight or even on the roads, there is curiosity about him and his campaign,” he declared.

As for Bhati, he is still all praise for PM Modi, despite being pitted against the BJP candidate. “The PM is doing so much hard work, even at his age. It is no small feat. I wish him all the best,” Bhati said.

(Edited by Asavari Singh)