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Journalism of Courage
AAP was not the only one promising “badlaav” in Punjab. Riding high on the wave of the successful Delhi morcha, farmers unions’ promised the same through their political front — Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM). But the farmers’ front too was decimated in the AAP wave with 93 out of its 94 candidates, who entered the fray as Independents, lost their security deposit. SSM chief Balbir Singh Rajewal (79), who was SKM coordinator playing key role in the farmers’ agitation, was also among the contestants who could not save his security deposit as he lost the poll battle from Samrala.
Rajewal got only 4,676 votes — 3.5% of the total votes polled. Lakhbir Singh Lakha Sidhana, an accused in the Red Fort violence case, was the only won who saved his security deposit as he finished number 2 in Maur after getting 28,091 votes (20.64% of the total votes polled). The seat, meanwhile, was won by AAP’s Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana who polled 63,099 votes.
SKM’s legal cell convenor and president of the All India Kisan Sabha Federation, Prem Singh Bhangu, was in fray from Patiala’s Ghanaur seat and managed to get only 1,681 votes.
After spending a year at the Tikri border providing medical aid to farmers, Dr Sukhmandeep Singh Dhillon, gave up his dream of doing MD in the US to fight polls from Tarn Taran, but could only get 1,315 votes.
Gurpreet Singh Kotli, a teacher and a marginal farmer who covered kisan agitation through his Facebook live feeds, managed to get 880 votes from Gidderbaha constituency.
Kotli had campaigned on a tractor and never went home throughout his poll campaign. From Moga, liquor contractor, Navdeep Sangha, left AAP to join SSM but got only 1,887 votes, while DU college professor Anuroop Kaur Sandhu’s security deposit was also forfeited from Muktsar as polled only 909 votes.
From Ludhiana West, industrialist Tarun Bawan Jain got 3,831 votes — just 3.26% of the total votes polled.
SSM spokesperson Ravneet Singh Brar fought from SAS Nagar and managed 2,971 votes. He was spokesperson of BKU (Kadian) and had resigned from his union to contest polls as the farm outfit refused to be part of the SSM.
Ramandeep Singh, a physiotherapist from Jaitu, lost his security deposit as he got only 1,150 votes. He too had served in the kisan agitation for more than a year at the Delhi border.
The SSM was floated by 22 out of 32 farmer unions from Punjab on December 25, 2021 after farm agitation at Delhi borders had ended after repeal of the farm laws.
Later, the constituents of this new farmers’ political front dropped to only 13 from 22. While the new party’s registration request was accepted by the EC, it could not get a symbol as it could not meet the condition of month’s public notice in two regional and English newspapers. Its candidates, therefore, had to contest as Independents.
Senior SSM leader Prem Singh Bhangu said: “People were looking for change and they saw this change in AAP. They rejected old parties. SSM’s entry into politics was late and perhaps this was the reason that we could not get it translated into votes. We accept the verdict of the people…In Maur, Lakha Sidhana was in a fight with an AAP candidate. But you can see that the top two candidates of Maur were chosen by people over traditional parties. This was our first attempt. Our fight for farming issues will remain as it is and this is not the end of the road for us. Farm related issues are fought by farm unions only and our next SKM meeting is on March 14 at Delhi over farm issues .” Bhangu added, “We will decide in next SSM meeting whether we need to continue into active politics in future.”
