Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024: Will agrarian distress and farmer discontent impact fortunes of Mahayuti? 

Agriculture remains the backbone of Maharashtra’s economy, but farmers continue to face numerous challenges, from erratic weather patterns like unseasonal rains to export bans.  

During the last Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faced significant backlash from onion farmers, who were upset over low prices and export ban. This led to a loss of 12 seats for the Mahayuti alliance in the onion-growing regions of the state. Although the export ban was later lifted the damage had already been done.  

In response to the farmers’ demands, both the major political alliances have now promised to implement farm loan waivers. 

This time, onion prices have risen, bringing relief to farmers but falling soybean and cotton prices are a major concern for the ruling Mahayuti alliance as the state heads to polls on November 20. 

In Maharashtra, nearly 18 Lok Sabha constituencies, particularly the cotton and soybean cultivating regions had decisive influence in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections where the Mahayuti alliance lost.  

On September 30, the state government released Rs 2,500 crore to support 65 lakh farmers under a scheme aimed at bridging the gap between the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and market prices. However, this funding was for the previous year’s harvest and has not alleviated the current year’s challenges. 

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has seized the opportunity to criticise the Mahayuti government, particularly over the low prices for soybean, which affect more farmers than onions across regions like Marathwada, Vidarbha, Nashik, Jalgaon and Kolhapur.  

In response, BJP has promised relief to farmers, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiling the party’s ‘Sankalp Patra’, which includes a pledge to ease the debt burden on farmers through loan waivers. 

Economic strain on farmers 

Maharashtra’s farmers find themselves caught in a cycle of mounting debt and decreasing incomes. The months of October and November are critical harvest periods, especially for cotton, soybean, paddy and other grains.  

The MSP for cotton this year is set at Rs 7,521 per quintal, with the state’s estimated cotton production at 19 lakh metric tonnes. However, the prevailing market price ranges from Rs 7,000 to Rs 7,200 per quintal, falling short of the MSP and has left farmers dissatisfied.  

Similarly, soybean production is expected to reach 58 lakh metric tonnes from 49.86 lakh hectares of land. Soybean has become the most widely sown crop in Maharashtra this kharif season, surpassing cotton, sugarcane and food grains with 50.52 lakh hectares under its cultivation.  

The primary soybean-growing regions are Marathwada and western Vidarbha, covering 12 districts — Latur, Dharashiv, Nanded, Buldhana, Beed, Washim, Parbhani, Yavatmal, Amravati, Hingoli, Akola and Jalna — that account for 67 out of Maharashtra’s 288 Assembly constituencies. 

Farmers suicide crisis  

Maharashtra continues to grapple with a devastating rise in farmer suicides with studies consistently linking such tragedies to financial distress, particularly in years of crop failure or low prices. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Maharashtra consistently ranks first in the number of farmer suicides in India. In 2023, 2,851 farmers took their own lives in the state. 

The situation remains grim in the drought-prone Marathwada region, where 430 farmers have committed suicide in the first half of 2024 alone, according to government data. Beed district, the home turf of Maharashtra’s agriculture minister Dhananjay Munde, has seen the highest number of suicides at 101 highlighting the deepening crisis. 

Political responses to farmer grievances 

The Mahayuti government rolled out a series of relief measures, including Rs 6,000 from the state government on top of the central government’s Rs 6,000 under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme.  

The state government has also waived electricity bills for farmers using water pumps of less than 7.5 hp. These initiatives have been met with some approval from the farming community, but many farmers continue to demand MSP for their crops, which remains a major point of contention. 

In a bid to win over the farming vote, the MVA alliance has promised MSP for crops. On November 12, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, declared that if the INDIA alliance comes to power in Maharashtra, it would ensure fair prices for soybean and cotton farmers. 

The stakes are high as the state approaches the elections, with Maharashtra’s farmers looking for immediate relief from their ongoing economic hardships. 

The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with counting for all 288 constituencies set for November 23.