Ummeda Ram Beniwal: How an ex-Delhi Police constable became Barmer’s Lok Sabha MP

Congress leader Ummeda Ram Beniwal defeated independent candidate Ravindra Singh Bhati with a margin of 1,18,179 votes to win the Barmer (Rajasthan) Lok Sabha constituency. A former Delhi Police constable, Beniwal’s ascent has been inspirational.

Once a Delhi Police constable, Ummeda Ram will now be part of the Lok Sabha.

Hailing from Pooniyon Ka Tala village in Rajasthan’s Barmer district, now part of the newly enacted Balotra district, Ummedaram secured a government job as a constable with the Delhi Police in 1995 where he served for almost a decade.

He was posted at Parliament Street when he quit his job in 2005.

Also Read:Congress’s Ummeda Ram Beniwal wins in Barmer seat, BJP remains distant third

He then ventured into business, starting a handicraft enterprise which became profitable and helped him achieve financial stability.

“I aspired to rise to a high-ranking officer position in the police force. After completing my 12th grade, I took various exams. Eventually, in 1995, I was selected for the position of constable in the Delhi Police. I served there for about ten years, until 2005. When I became a constable, I was determined to climb higher ranks. I completed my graduation in 2000 and took exams for higher police positions, but I did not succeed”, Ummedaram recalled.

Discussing his transition to business, Beniwal said, “Later in 2005, I decided to leave the police job and ventured into the handicrafts business, which turned out to be quite successful, and I even set up stalls in Germany to sell handicraft items.”

According to Beniwal, his political career began when he visited his native village.

“Some friends and family members suggested I contest the Sarpanch (village council head) elections. I was making up my mind to contest the election, but the seat was reserved for women. After that, my wife Pushpa Devi contested and won the election. That was the beginning of my political career,” he said.

Beniwal recounted his association with the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP).

“I came into contact with Hanuman Beniwal in 2018, joined his RLP, and contested the Baytu assembly elections twice in 2018 and 2023 on an RLP ticket but lost both times. Despite running strong and honest campaigns, I realised it was challenging to win alone.”

“In the Lok Sabha polls, I switched to Congress, contested the MP election, and finally won”, he said.

Interestingly, Beniwal, who won in a triangular contest, also fought his earlier two elections in similar fashion but lost.

His first assembly election in 2018 was against Congress candidate Harish Chaudhary and BJP candidate Kailash Chaudhary, which he lost by 13,803 votes, securing 43,900 votes.

In the next election in 2022, he contested against the same Congress candidate Chaudhary and BJP candidate Balaram Choudhary and lost again. However, in both elections, he finished second in terms of votes.