The Barmer Lok Sabha seat in western Rajasthan, the desert state's largest parliamentary constituency in terms of size, is poised to witness a triangular contest with former IPS officer and BSP candidate Pankaj Chaudhary likely to disturb the poll equations for both the Congress and the BJP.
While veteran BJP leader and former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra Singh, who quit the saffron party ahead of the December 2018 assembly elections, is the Congress candidate from the JKat dominated seat, the BJP has fielded former MLA and RSS backed Jat leader Kailash Chaudhary, choosing to drop the sitting MP Col Sonaram.
State revenue minister Harish Chaudhary too was a contender but lost out to Manvendra Singh as he joined the Congress only after being assured a lok sabha ticket from Barmer.
However, the BSP has turned the electoral battle into a triangular contest by picking former IPS officer Pankaj Chaudhary, who has served as Jaisalmer SP, as its candidate in the constituency which covers entire Barmer district and half of Jaisalmer district, forming a part of the Thar desert on the Indo-Pak border.
The BJP is seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while the Congress is trying to set a notion that the country's Constitution and democracy are in danger under Modi. The BSP candidate is targeting the youth of the state.
"There is only Modi factor in the elections. He did remarkable work in five years and the entire country favours him. People know that it is Modi who can keep the nation secure and the country can progress only under his rule," Dilip Paliwal, BJP's Barmer president told PTI.
He said that the constituency was dominated by Jats and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate will have the upper hand due to the caste equation.
According to police records, Chaudhary has a criminal background and is a history-sheeter of Balotara Police Station of Barmer.
"The BSP candidate is damaging the Congress, and not the BJP, by dividing SC (scheduled caste) votes," he said.
Rajput leader Manvendra Singh had quit the saffron party in September 2018 miffed over his father Jaswant Singh being denied a BJP ticket in the 2014 elections.
The former Union minister went on to contest the elections as an independent candidate but lost.
"Whatever is going on in the BJP is not good. How senior leaders are ignored in the party is well known. BJP is doing the politics of hate and fear and their leaders are scaring people just to seek votes. This is very alarming," Manvendra Singh told reporters in Barmer.
He claimed to have the support of all sections of the society and exuded confidence of winning the Barmer seat.
"Mainly, the issues in the constituencies are water, fodder for cattle and employment. The region faces droughts and people want their basic issues to be addressed," he said.
"This is my home constituency and I understand people's need and requirements, he added.
Pankaj Chaudhary, who was dismissed from the Indian Police Service (IPS) last month for violating the service rules, is primarily focusing on youths and SC voters, which have a significant number in the constituency.
"I was Jaisalmer SP and I understand very well the situation of the constituency. The youth supports me and the resentment against both the BJP and the Congress is clearly visible," he said.
"I served the people as IPS and never bowed to pressure from any government, be it the Congress or the BJP and therefore I was targeted. People have faith that if they elect me, I will fight for them and will work honestly for the constituency," he said.
Chaudhary, who hails from Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, says development and was his main poll issue.
The constituency, which has 19.32 lakh voters, will go to poll in first phase of polling on April 29.
Rajasthan has 25 lok sabha seats and polling in 13 constituencies will take place on April 29 and remaining 12 will go to poll in second phase on May 6.
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