Kelnor, a village situated right at the international border with Pakistan, has a parched existence. In this frontier settlement, which is a two-hour-drive from the Barmer headquarters, water trumps nationalism. Rancha Ram Meghwal, a youth from the village, when asked what issues were important for him in this election, immediately mentioned the water issues that he and the other villagers struggle with on a daily basis.
“It does not rain here. Tube wells are the only source of water for us. But most of the ground water here is briny,” says Rancha Ram, who works as a mason.
He says he is happy that Prime Minister Narendra Modi carried out the air strikes in Balakot. But he frankly admits that he will not vote for the BJP. He then reveals the other important factor that is at work in Barmer—caste. The residents of Kelnor, majority of who belong to other backward castes such as Meghwal and Sutar, will vote according to Rajput Sarpanch's directive. And in all probability, it will be the Congress' Manvendra Singh, a Rajput who carries the rich political legacy of his father, the towering Jaswant Singh.
When you travel inland, the sentiment is pretty much the same. Chandra Kumari, who has come to attend a public meeting of Manvendra in Barmer city, says water scarcity is the biggest issue for the people in the constituency. “We have been waiting for such a long time to get adequate water supply. I want to hear what the two parties have to say on this issue,” she said.
Manvendra is well aware of this feeling as he insists that nationalism is not an issue in Barmer.
“May be, people are talking about it in the urban areas, but in the border villages, water is what concerns people the most. A number of water supply projects were announced in the past. But they are incomplete,” he said.
He also said since both the Hindu and Muslim families in the border villages of Barmer have families across the border, the anti-Pakistan sentiment is not so strong.
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Lack of employment is another big issue in Barmer, which has little in terms of agriculture. The youth want job opportunities, and hence, the delay in completion of the refinery in the area, whose foundation stone has been laid twice, first by the Congress government and then by the Modi regime, is a sore point for them.
Manvendra, who joined the Congress in October 2018, enjoys the support of the Rajputs, who are a dominant community in Barmer. He is also said to have the backing of Muslims and the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Besides, since Rajputs, as the apex community in the area, command influence over the other backward castes such as Meghwals, Nais, Sutars etc. they too are expected to back the Congress.
For Manvendra, the electoral battle is also an opportunity to avenge the 'wrong' done to his father by the BJP. In 2014, Jaswant Singh was denied a ticket from Barmer by the party, which fielded ex-Congressman and prominent Jat leader Col. Sonaram Choudhary in the constituency. Although Manvendra does not talk about Jaswant Singh in his campaign, the other speakers in his public meetings do refer to him and also how he was ill-treated by the saffron party. Manvendra's wife Chitra is holding her campaign separately, reaching out to the women voters and talking to them about her father-in-law's political legacy.
This time round, Col. Sonaram has been replaced by another Jat, the young and upcoming Kailash Choudhary, a former MLA from Baytoo assembly seat in Barmer. Jats, traditionally pitted against Rajputs, are expected to back the BJP. However, Col. Sonaram's exit from the party could lead to a splintering of this vote bank.
Barmer is the biggest constituency in the country, and the candidates, on some days, end up covering 550 to 600 kilometres in their campaign. And while Manvendra was in and around Barmer city, talking about issues such as water scarcity and joblessness, around a hundred kilometres away, in Balotra, Kailash Choudhary was busy campaigning on the BJP's main poll plank of nationalism.
“Modiji has provided the country with a decisive leadership. He had taken bold decisions. He has given Pakistan a befitting reply. The choice before the people is clear—do they want a strong and decisive leader or if they are okay with a weak government,” he said.
However, the people of Barmer may well be looking for answers to their daily struggle for existence.
