Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday announced its sixth list of eight more candidates for the ensuing Punjab assembly polls, taking the total number to 96 — bringing under the clouds of uncertainty the speculations of its pre-poll alliance with the newly-floated farmers’ outfit — Samyukta Sanjha Morcha.

Punjab has a total of 117 seats. Now, AAP is left with declaring its candidates for just 18 seats.

At the time when Punjab’s 22 farmers’ organizations got together to float a political party, a section of farm leaders gave enough indications of a possible tie-up with the AAP, which is emerging as a viable alternative in the state politics, set to replace the traditional political parties — the Congress, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). On the other hand, AAP is also in quest of the Chief Ministerial face, and the prominent farm leader, Balbir Singh Rajewal, fits in.

However, it has been learnt that the talks between the two remained unsuccessful.

With the AAP continuing with the declaration of its candidates, even from the prominent seats, the message is loud and clear that AAP will not forge an alliance, at least for the time being.

Sources told The Pioneer that with the AAP not joining hands with the Samyukta Sanjha Morcha (SSM) before polls, the farmers have also ruled out any alliance at a later stage, or after the elections.

A farmer leader, requesting anonymity, said that at one point of time, the talks were on with the AAP, but things did not turn out the way it should have been.

AAP WINS MC POLLS BECAUSE OF FARM MOVEMENT: RAJEWAL

On Thursday, the 22 farmer organizations which have announced to contest polls, engaged in a show of strength by holding a felicitation ceremony — to honour the farmer leaders. During the event, the BKU leader and SSM’s chief ministerial candidate Balbir Singh Rajewal did not let go of the opportunity to remind AAP that its win in the Chandigarh civic body polls was because of the farmers’ agitation. “The win, which AAP is boasting of, is actually because of the farmers’ movement. The people are now fed up with the traditional parties like Congress, or BJP,” said Rajewal.

At the same time, Rajewal gave a clarion call to all the people, especially the youth, to gear up for the polls and go in the field.  He said that the farmers decided to contest the polls as after we won the agitation, people come to us and urge us to cleanse this political system in Punjab. “That is why, we have formed this Samyukta Sanjha Morcha and we have entered the electoral fray,” he said. To make the new venture a success, Rajewal maintained that now, there is a need to organize big programs after every four to five days at different places across the state to mobilize the masses and make them apprise about our programs, thoughts, and policies. “The youngsters especially have to go from house to house, village to village by forming groups so that Samyukta Sanjha Morcha can be successful in the elections,” he added.

KIRTI KISAN UNION DECIDED NOT TO CONTEST POLLS

The Kirti Kisan Union, while announcing its decision not to enter the electoral ring and be part of the Samyukta Sanjha Morcha, on Thursday appealed to Rajewal-led SSM to not contest the elections. The union leaders Nirbhay Singh Dhudidke and Rajinder Singh Deep Singh Wala, in a press conference, said that the participation in elections at this juncture will damage the farmers’ movement.

They maintained that neither will field any candidate nor will they join the front created by the farmers. “Till now many demands of farmers including MSP have not been fulfilled. The movement is in the middle, so the farmer leaders should withdraw the decision to contest the elections. Instead, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) should be run properly,” they added.