Haryana: Farmers field own candidate for assembly by-election

The Haryana Sanyukt Kisan Morcha has fielded a candidate on behalf of the farmers for the upcoming Ellenabad assembly by-election. The Morcha went ahead and named Vikal Pachar as its candidate after the mother organisation, Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, did not name any candidate.

Sirsa (Haryana): Even as all the political parties are fielding their own candidates for the upcoming Ellenabad assembly by-election, the farmers have also separately fielded their own candidate. Though the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha has not announced any candidate yet, the Haryana Sanyukt Kisan Morcha held a press conference Wednesday and declared Vikal Pachar as the candidate of the farmers.

Farmers say that whether it is the Chautala family or the Hooda family or any political party, no one has thought about farmers till date. But all the political parties took advantage of the farmers' agitation that has been going on for nearly a year now. According to the farmers, the main reason for fielding their own candidate is that he should win and go to the assembly to raise the voice of the farmers as well as the people in general.

Jagveer, convener of Haryana Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, said that after discussing with all the workers, it was decided that Vikal Pachar will be the candidate of the farmers' union in the Ellenabad by-election. Replying to a question of interaction with the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha in this regard, he said that the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha has run missions in Punjab elections, in Bengal elections and missions wherever elections have been held, but when it came to Haryana, it remained silent.

According to Jagveer, they had discussed the Ellenabad by-election with the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha since it is the main body of the farmers.

“But we did not get any satisfactory reply after which we gave Sanyukt Kisan Morcha time till October 4 to field any of its candidates,” he said. “Since no candidate has been fielded by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha so far, the Haryana Sanyukt Kisan Morcha decided to field its own candidate.”

Jagveer further said that if the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha still fields a candidate, then every single member of the Haryana Sanyukt Kisan Morcha will back him.

Replying to the question on INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala contesting the elections, he said that Chautala had resigned in the interest of the farmers in the first place. The purpose of Abhay Chautala's resignation was to have the three agricultural controversial laws repealed, but that did not happen.

“Why is Abhay contesting the elections again when the agricultural have not been repealed? Abhay Singh Chautala himself should not stand in the election but should stand in support of the farmers,” Jagveer said.

The Ellenabad assembly seat of Sirsa district was vacated due to the resignation of Abhay Singh Chautala. He had resigned in protest against the three agricultural laws. He was the only INLD MLA in the current Haryana Assembly. He had defeated BJP's Pawan Beniwal in the 2019 assembly elections. Abhay Chautala got 57,055 votes at that time.

Polling for the Ellenabad assembly by-election will be held October 30.