Farm bodies lack urban connect, SSM struggles in Punjab assembly elections

AMRITSAR: The Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) candidates in urban areas are facing an uphill task in matching the election campaign by rival candidates of the traditional political parties.
"Our present cadre is from a rural background, who had done extremely well in forcing the Center to repeal the three farm laws, and urban voters think SSM candidates are not aware of their issues," said Lakhbir Singh Nijampura, state vice-president of All India Kisan Sabha, one of the constituents of SSM, said.
He said their leaders should have given second thought to picking the urban seats to fight.
Nijampura said they had chosen industrialists, big farmers and business heads to contest on SSM's tickets from urban areas yet they felt that the traditional political parties were well-equipped in election campaigning gears, organisational structure and staff.
"However, it is no more a farmers' movement, but a social movement. So there are people who are inclined to our vision and ideology," he said.
"No doubt, there are issues specific to the urban areas, but the overall issue is to get Punjab rid of debt, stop Punjabi youth from going abroad by creating employment opportunities, eradicate the menace of drugs and give clean governance, which the people of Punjab had not seen so far," said Satnam Singh Ajnala, state president of Jamhuri Kisan Sabha.
SSM candidate from Amritsar West assembly constituency Amarjit Singh Asal said, "SSM constituents are the farm unions but we have received immense support from industrialists, shopkeepers, labourers and employees, so when we go to campaigning, the people understand us and know we have won an agitation."
He, however, said that urban issues were somewhat different.