Farm Distress, Nationalism heat Up 3-way fight In Sikar

Everything in Sikar revolves around either jawan or kisan and their impact on the 2019

Lok Sabha

polls is ringing loud on the ground.


Water and farm loans, one-rank-one-pension and Pulwama attack have become the emotive issues, charging up the three-cornered fight. There are other issues like demand for better rail connectivity but most locals do not even mention them.

Keeping faith in the incumbent MP, BJP has fielded Swami Sumedhanand Saraswati while Congress has betted on Subhash Maharia, who had represented Sikar in the Lok Sabha for three terms as a BJP MP. They are pitched against CPM candidate Amra Ram, a four-time MLA, who has been contesting all the LS polls since 1996 but has never won.

However, with Sikar being the epicentre of farmers’ stir which was led by Amra Ram, the CPM is hopeful that the farmers’ unrest is likely tilt the odds against their favour. The agitation, which was supported by farmers across the state had led to last BJP government in the state constituting a committee for waiving off farm loans. Mounting pressure eventually compelled former chief minister Vasundhara Raje to waive off loans up to Rs 50,000. Not surprisingly, Amra Ram, who is the vice-president of All India Kisan Sangh, is largely banking of the support of the aggrieved farmers.

But the loan relief was a case of too little, too late for the farmers and their anger completely wiped out BJP from Sikar in the recent assembly polls. The saffron party, which had won on five of the seven assembly segments in the district in 2013, lost on all seven seats in 2018. The eighth assembly segment, which is part of Sikar Lok Sabha constituency, falls in

Jaipur district

.

On the other hand, Subhash Maharia, who rejoined Congress after decades calling it a “home coming,’’ is confident of his victory. He believes he enjoys a personal rapport with the locals and calls the BJP candidate an “outsider’’. Maharia belongs to a family of Congressmen and had started off as a youth worker of Congress. But it was late Bhairon Singh Shekhawat who could manage to bring him into BJP fold. He contested as a BJP-rebel in 2014 and managed to get nearly two lakh votes. He has a considerable hold in the area, and unlike the other two candidates, Maharia is financially strong.

There are no strong emotions attached to BJP candidate Swami Sumedhanand. Most people call him as "babaji" who neither has friends nor foes, making him the most suitable candidate. In the past five years, he has been actively involved and made frequent appearances in the area. He played a major role in getting the proposal for a broad-gauge railway line in Sikar approved and a medical college on public private partnership (PPP). However, what BJP relies on most for a win here is the Narendra Modi factor.