Express News Service
CHANDIGARH: The future of recently floated Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) by the farmers’ unions is divided over the alliance with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as the Arvind Kejriwal-led party on Monday announced five more candidates in its seventh list for the upcoming Punjab assembly elections.
Till now, AAP has announced 101 candidates out of the total of 117 seats. This makes it difficult for the SSM to enter into an alliance with AAP as the party has already announced candidates for most of the constituencies.
Also, the outfit of farmers has started to disintegrate as more and more farmer leaders are leaving it as they have decided not to fight the elections.
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Sources said that late on Saturday night Balbir Singh Rajewal, who is leading the SSM, reportedly held a meeting with top leaders of AAP in Delhi. However, 18 farmers unions, which are part of the front, do not want SSM to have any tie-up with any political party. The leaders said they wanted their outfit to contest elections independently in all the seats.
Also, these farmers unions were annoyed that AAP had initially agreed to give around 35 seats to the farmers but it did not fulfil its commitment as it announced 101 candidates. However, reliable sources aid, the negotiations between SSM and AAP are reportedly still going on.
Sources further said that most of the farmer leaders have backed out from contesting the assembly elections as the SKM did not allow about 32 farmer union members to contest elections. Again, those farmer union leaders, who want to enter the fray, were asked to resign from their posts in the unions which is against their will.
A meeting was held on late on Sunday evening in Jalandhar to discuss all the issues where several farmers unions opted not to be a part of SSM. “The unions not part of SSM are making all efforts to convince SSM leaders not to take a political plunge,” said a farmer leader.
