E-Paper
Punjab assembly polls: SSM candidates to contest as independents
Candidates fielded by SSM for Punjab assembly polls will contest as independents over non-registration as a political party and chances of them getting a common poll symbol also seems bleak
Candidates fielded by the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) for the Punjab assembly polls will contest as independents over non-registration as a political party and the chances of them getting a common poll symbol also seems bleak.
Tuesday being the last date of filing of nominations, the officials in the Election Commission (EC) of India here said the SSM is left with no choice but to contest as independent candidates and there is a laid procedure for allotment of symbols for such candidates after the withdrawal of the nomination, scheduled for February 3.
February 1 is the last date of filing of the nomination papers and on the next date, scrutiny will take place followed by withdrawal on the next day.
“So far, there is no response from the EC (on allotment of a common symbol). EC officials in Delhi do not take such decisions in a hurry,” said a senior officer from the office of the chief electoral office clarifying that a formal rejection was not received from the EC as yet.
“We are ready for the election even if we are not registered as a party or a common symbol is not being allotted. We are getting good response from the people, particularly in rural Punjab,” said SSM’s parliamentary board head Prem Singh Bhangu. He adds that all the candidates, including SSM president BS Rajewal, and will file the nomination papers on Tuesday.
He also informed that the EC has written to them that the registration of the SSM as a party was still in the process.
Last week after the ECI conveyed raised some objections to SSM’s application for registration as a party for not having endorsed all documents properly, all its members jointly wrote to the EC for allotting a common symbol giving three choices – tractor, tractor-trailer or a trolley. “We have sent timely rectification and have also made a plea for a common symbol, but of no avail,” Bhangu said.
“Out of the choices for common symbols, we gave to the EC, we have been informed that some of these symbols are already taken, so we have given the EC a fresh list of options – charpoy (cot), matka (pot) or scissors,” Bhangu said.
The SSM was formed last month as a political outfit by the 19 farm bodies who were part of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) which led the agitation against the now-repealed three farm laws.
