Where any surplus land is to be leased, it shall be leased to persons in the following order of priority :-
(i) a person from whom any land held by him as tenant has been resumed by the landlord under section 9 of the Berar Regulation of Agricultural Leases Act, 1951 (M. P. Act XXIV of 1951) or under [section 38 or 39] of this Act and as a consequence thereof whose total holding whether as tenure-holder or tenant or partly as tenure-holder and partly as tenant has been reduced to an area less than one family holding;
(ii) Co-operative farming society, the members of which are agricultural labourers, landless persons or small holders or a combination of such persons;
(iii) agricultural labourers;
(iv) landless persons;
(v) small holders;
(vi) co-operative farming society of agriculturists (other than small holders) who hold either as tenure-holder or tenant or partly as tenure-holder and partly as tenant land less in area than a family holding and who are artisans;
(vii) an agriculturist (other than a small holder) who holds either as tenure-holder or tenant or partly as tenure-holder and partly as tenant land less in area than a family holding and who is an artisan;
(viii) any other co-operative farming society;
(ix) any agriculturist who holds either as tenure-holder or as tenant or partly as tenure-holder and partly as tenant land larger in area than a family holding but less in area than three family holdings;
(x) any person, not being an agriculturist who intends to take to the profession of agriculture.