The filing of nomination paper of Amra Ram, CPI(M) candidate from Sikar was held on April 15 at Sikar. Thousands of women and men coming from different shades of life, representing organisations of kisans, youth, workers women etc., joined Amra Ram in his nomination exercise. Vasudev, and  Badal Saroj, former CPI(M) state secretaries of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states’ respectively, joined the ‘nomination march’. Phul Chand Barbar, M S Meel, Harfool Bajian, Subhash Nehra, Ramratan Bagria, Qayum Quereishi from the CPI(M) and other leaders of CPI and CPI(ML) were also present.

Despite the fact that the temperature was very high and kisans were engaged in the harvest of rabi crop; these reasons could not deter the spirit of the participants in the nomination exercise, as they participated in huge numbers. Amra Ram is a very respectful leader of the region. He has led many successful struggles of the peasantry which also led to his several victories in the state assembly elections in the past. He was elected president of students’ union of Sikar college and from there he continued to work for building the peasants movement and the Party in the Rajasthan especially in the Shekawati region.

The Shekawati region is passing through an unprecedented crisis in agriculture. Some of regions in Sikar district, which used to produce three crops a year, are now reduced to just one crop. Because of excessive exploitation of ground water, it has now completely dried up and the land has become arid. Hence the foremost demand of getting water from the canal is one of the major demands of the region. The other demands include remunerative prices for the agricultural produce and intervention of the government in its procurement. The struggles have been led in a very wide area which has attracted the people towards the kisan sabha and the Party.

Amra Ram is in a direct fight with BJP. Though there is a Congress candidate as well, who was a former MP from BJP and remained a minister in the Vajpayee government. The BJP has fielded a sitting MP of the same constituency. Both the Congress and BJP candidates have a tarnished track record while engaging with the issues and problems of the kisans. It is quite natural that both of them do not enjoy a good reputation amongst the people. Though, both have a very strong financial backing and have the capacity to spend huge money during the elections.

Amra Ram while speaking at the nomination rally reminded the people of the long struggles and the achievements of the kisans in the past. He also apprised the people about the anti-kisan role of both the BJP and Congress candidates. He spoke about the failed promises of Ashok Gehlot government towards the people of Rajasthan and also about the ‘jumlas’ (empty rhetoric) of the Narendra Modi’s central government. He laid confidence that in the 17th Lok Sabha, of the total kisan representatives in the parliament, Sikar shall also have one. This invocation of Amra Ram led to a strong slogan shouting with the foremost slogan of ‘laal laal lehrayegaa, Amra Delhi jayega’ (red flag will flutter and Amra will go to Delhi).

On April 16, a youth leader of CPI(M), Sheopat Ram Meghwal, filed his nomination papers from Bikaner parliamentary seat. Girdhari Lal Mahiya, MLA, Rameshwar Verma, state secretariat member of CPI(M) and many other leaders also participated in the nomination exercise. The third seat that the Party is contesting in Rajasthan is Churu ; Balwan Puniya, MLA is the candidate from this seat.