In what has come as a setback for the farmers movement,the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) headed by MP Raju Shetty only bagged one out of the 14 seats it contested from western Maharashtra. Fighting the election as part of the Republican Left Democratic Front,an alliance of 16 parties,and even after getting the support of the Sena in two constituencies in Kolhapur (with the Sena pulling out two candidates),Shettys party could not make an impact. The SSS had based its campaign on highlighting the problems faced by farmers,Dalits and unorganised workers. We accept the verdict of the people and ready ourselves for the next elections, said Shetty a farmer activist who had pulled it through from Shirola in the last Assembly election before he launched his own party. He blamed the Sangli-Miraj communal violence before the elections and the party not being able to have rallies addressing the issues of sugarcane growers as the main factors for the setback. People got carried away in the violence and the real issues of rising prices and issues of the farmers were sidelined, said Shetty. Having had a good performance in the recent Lok Sabha election,winning the Hatkanangle seat from Kolhapur against NCP heavyweight Nivedita Mane,Shetty said that he had expected to win at least three to four seats. Problems with fund-raising and many other issues made us contest as part of the Third Front. This being our first election as a party we would be ready by the next time, he said. In the Pandharpur seat,which the party won,candidate Bharat Bhalke has been on the forefront of sugarcane growers agitation. He had a clean sweep while in Parner and Kagal and Radhanagari constituencies we have done well, he added.
