In Maharashtra’s cotton county, it’s farm issues vs Hindutva

The orange-cotton county of Vidarbha is a study in contrasts. Home to a bustling tier-2 town, which is a satellite urban centre to Nagpur, Amravati also has the spectre of malnutrition and crop failure hanging over it. Plus, the makings of a battle of prestige between BJP and Congress in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls.

This is where one-time Tollywood actor and incumbent Independent MP Navneet Rana is facing a spirited opposition. The Mumbai-born Punjabi, who starred in Telugu films before marrying local politician Ravi Rana, is contesting on a BJP ticket this time. A Ravidassia caste certificate upheld by Supreme Court has put an end to a long-drawn legal battle over her eligibility to contest from a reserved SC seat.

Of the six assembly segments here, one is represented by Navneet’s husband Ravi Rana as an Independent. Two others have MLAs of Prahar Janshakti Party (PJP), and the remaining three – including the tribal, forested area of Melghat – are with Congress. It’s a region where BJP has limited presence. Expanding its reach by riding piggyback on Rana’s popularity is part of the same strategy it has used across Maharashtra to bring on board allies.

Navneet, who defeated a Shiv Sena veteran in the last Lok Sabha polls, has used the Hindutva card to effect so far. In 2022, amid reports of being in talks with BJP, she announced she would stand outside Uddhav Thackeray’s residence to chant ‘Hanuman Chalisa’. She ended up in judicial custody for obstructing a police team sent to arrest her.

“Chanting Hanuman Chalisa is a matter of faith for me and has no connection to politics. I chose to chant it rather than indulge in caste politics,” she told TOI in an interview conducted on her campaign trail. Navneet says she has the “might of the BJP” behind her and the blessings of the leadership – “Importantly, PM Modi fully supports me.”

Last December, the Ranas held a 10-day-long Shivapuran Katha Yagya on the outskirts of Amravati, with over 10 lakh participants. Amit Shah was the star campaigner in her constituency this week. Though she is buoyant about her prospects, the opposition – Sharad Pawar, Thackeray, Mukul Wasnik, Anil Deshmukh – has now rallied together for Congress candidate Balwant Wankhede.

Modi may appeal to youth and women, but Wankhede is banking on the large MarathaOBC vote bank that has remained loyal to the party. The disquiet over the failed promises of a quota hangs in the air. Rahul Gandhi led the party’s last big rally on Wednesday.

To complicate matters, there’s the PJP candidate seeking better pricing for farm produce, ample water supply and power at cheaper rates, and compensation for losses due to recent hailstorms and unseasonal showers. PJP chief Bachhu Kadu says the real fight in Amravati is between his candidate Dinesh Bub and Congressman Balwant Wankhede.

In a tier-2 town built on agricultural wealth, issues such as poor warehousing, low penetration of irrigation, exclusion of farmers from loan waivers and crop insurance schemes, besides rising prices of fertilizers, clearly resonate the most with voters.

Vaibhav Deshmukh, 38, from Belora village, who is a tur daal, soyabean, banana and watermelon grower, said due to warehousing con straints, traders and brokers were skimming off the profits, selling his produce at high prices in retail. Poor rates for oranges have forced Nitish Mokalkar, 31, from Shipgaon to take to cotton, gram and onion farming instead. He said growing 3-4 different crops was the only way to insulate himself from the vagaries of weather and market.

Vijay Sonare, a 30-year-old orange orchard owner in Pimpri village, said hailstorms have damaged the latest crop. “Ideally, govt should pitch in with the insurance premium (Rs 7,500 per acre) that orange growers cannot afford. Irrecoverable loss can discourage the farmer from farming. However, there is not a word about this deplorable condition of farmers in the ongoing elections,” he said.
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