KOLHAPUR: Farmer leader Raju Shetti has indicated his inclination to form an alliance with Congress for the 2019 elections, but has sought six Lok Sabha seats for his party Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana. According to Congress sources, the discussions are at the initial stage and other issues will be finalised after the alliance is formed.Congress recently organised a 'jan sangharsh yatra' in western Maharashtra as its part of campaign against the BJP-led government and in preparation for the 2019 Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. During their tour of Hatkanangle taluka, senior Congress leaders met Shetti and proposed forming an alliance with parties against BJP. Shetti, however, is said to have responded cautiously saying he will consider their proposal.According to Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana sources, Shetti is ready to form an alliance with Congress but has a few conditions. "We are ready to join forces against BJP as the ruling alliance has not done anything for the betterment of the farmers, which is our main concern. The party is planning to contest from six Lok Sabha seats - Kolhapur , Hatkanangle, Sangli, Madha, Wardha and Buldhana - where we have a sizeable number of followers and are confident of winning. We have put forth our demands to Congress officials. If our demands are accepted, we are ready to ally with them," said a member of the organisation.According to him, SSS is willing to negotiate on seat sharing, but will speak about the matter after the party gets a response from Congress, he said. Shetti had formed alliance with BJP during the previous Lok Sabha elections and secured a lone seat from Hatkanangle, which is the party's only seat. Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana could not secure any seats in the state assembly elections.Later, Sadabhau Khot , a member of SSS, was inducted in the BJP-led Maharashtra government as minister of state for agriculture. As differences between the two leaders emerged, Khot parted ways with Shetti and formed a new organisation while inducting several followers from SSS.Shetti has consistently fought against Congress and NCP as most of the sugar mills are owned by the leaders of these parties in western Maharashtra. A Kolhapur-based political expert said it will be interesting to see how this new arrangement will unfold, how Shetti deals with Congress-NCP leaders and what it holds for the survival of his organisation.

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