When Jaswant Singh stormed out of the Bharatiya Janata Party at the end of March to run as an independent candidate from Barmer in western Rajasthan, he found himself without the machinery or the funds to run an effective campaign. However, he has received support from an unlikely quarter: the Manganiyars, Muslim folk singers in Rajasthan.
Two songs about Singh composed by a Manganiyar named Jamat Khan have become immensely popular and are played regularly from taxis and autos. “He did not ask us to support him,” said 45-year-old Jamat Khan. “We did this from our hearts. We were going to attend a rally of Jaswant Singh’s, and just before that, we decided to compose this song. He liked the song when he heard it.”
Jamat Khan recorded the songs in a studio in Jodhpur, and soon they were being passed around through the smartphone messenger application Whatsapp. Both songs are minor adaptations of older songs extolling Maharana Pratap, the 16th century Rajput ruler, and how he avenged his insults. These lyrics speak about how Singh united Hindus and Muslims to vote for him the first time. Then they tell voters what Jaswant Singh’s election symbol is (the torch) and at what number he will appear on the rolls.
Another Manganiyar musician, Fakira Khan, has composed a series of original dohe, rhyming couplets, in which he outlines Singh’s political history and the weight of his career, and why it is important to vote for him in this election. Khan recites these verses at election meetings.
On the face of it, folks songs about politicians aren't a new phenomenon. Rajasthani politicians regularly call upon the Manganiyars to compose music for their campaigns. But despite this commercial work, the community has traditionally voted for the Congress. This year, however, shortly after Singh filed his nomination papers, the Manganiyars of Barmer held a community meeting at which they decided to break with tradition.
This is entirely because of Singh’s lineage: Singh is a Rajput related to the former royal family of Barmer. “According to our parampara, Jaswant Singh is our jajman, our patron, and we must support him,” said Fakira Singh.
Himmat Singh, a social media manager with Singh’s campaign, said the songs were written without any prompting from the expelled BJP leader. “We were pleasantly surprised when we heard these songs,” he said. “We had no idea anybody was composing them.”
Jaswant Singh has been a member of parliament since 1980, when he was elected into the Rajya Sabha, and has flitted back and forth between houses and constituencies ever since. He began his Lok Sabha career from Jodhpur in 1989, moved to Chittorgarh for two terms in 1991 and 1996, and in 2009 contested and won from Darjeeling. He decided to run as an independent after his long-time party, the BJP, refused to accede to his request to let him run from his home constituency of Barmer.
Jaswant Singh, said Shubha Choudhari, an ethnomusicologist who has worked with the Manganiyars for several years, has another advantage with the community. In addition to being related to the royal family of Barmer, he is also a descendant of Mata Rani Bhatiyani, a pir who has become very popular with the Manganiyars over the past decade.
“All the Manganiyars are exercised because Jasawnt Singh did not get the [BJP] ticket,” Choudhari said. “But the interesting thing is that only Manganiyars from Barmer [from where Singh hails] are supporting him, and not those from Jaisalmer.”
Fakira Khan says that Manganiyars are the last remaining caste block in Rajasthan to vote as a group. “A part of our body has been wounded, which is why everyone is singing together for Jaswant Singh,” he said.
Most of Rajasthan, including Barmer, goes to the polls today.