Maharashtra results again show farm issues matter, farm leaders flop

The paradox of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra was that while farm distress ruled the minds of voters, two prominent farm leaders — Raju Shetti and Ravikant Tupkar — failed to click with them. Both Shetti and Tupkar came a distant third in their Hatkanagale and Buldhana constituencies, respectively.

The failure of farm leaders in electoral politics is not new in Maharashtra. The late Sharad Joshi, the founder of the Shetkari Sanghatana — that had managed to give a voice to farmers in the state — had himself tasted defeat in the Hinganghat Assembly seat in 1995.

Vijay Jawandhiya, a former colleague of Joshi, said this shows the weakness of farm movements.

“Even if farm issues dominate the political narrative in an election, it is not enough to win. This is because other than being a farmer, the voter has other identities — of caste, community, religion, etc. Unfortunately, farm leaders have always failed to understand this, and have been defeated repeatedly,” Jawandhiya said.

Farm related issues had dominated the build-up to the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, which saw many senior leaders of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state bite the dust. Among those who lost their seats were former ministers Bharati Pawar, Subhash Bhamare and Raosaheb Danve (all BJP). Onion prices and a ban on onion exports saw the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidates winning in the ‘onion belt’, while lower realisation from soybean and cotton crops saw the Mahayuti suffer in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions as well. One of the main narratives built up by the MVA was the supposed anti-farm policy of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, whose local iteration is the Mahayuti.

While farmer issues were important,