Despite big farm protests, BJP leads in Mandsaur
BHOPAL: Despite the farmers agitation that rocked Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh in June 2017, where six farmers lost their lives to police firing and lathi charge, leading the state government to announce a slew of welfare schemes to address the deepening the agrarian crisis in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates from Malhargarh and Mandsaur, the twin centres of the protests, were leading as of 11.30pm on Tuesday.
Pipliamandi, where five farmers were shot, falls under Malhargarh assembly constituency, while one farmer lost his life in Daloda, which is part of the Mandsaur constituency.
Jagdish Dewda was leading over his nearest rival, the Congress candidate Parshuram Sisodiya, in Malhargarh by a little more than 11,000 votes.
In Mandsaur, Yashpal Sisodiya was leading by more than 18,000 votes against veteran Congressman and former industries minister Narendra Nahata.
There are 12 seats in Mandsaur, Neemuch and Ratlam districts, which were the worst-affected during the farmers’ agita- tion that rocked the Malwa region and put the BJP on the back foot. By Tuesday evening, the BJP was leading in Neemuch, Ratlam rural and Ratlam city seats.
The issue of farmers unrest became a central point for the Congress during its poll campaign.
Even at the time of the shootings, Congress president Rahul Gandhi was detained while attempting to meet the family of the farmers who had died.
In the following weeks, Congress leaders, including MP Congress campaign committee head Jyotiraditya Scindia, met the families of the deceased farmers. At a public gathering in Mandsaur a year later, Gandhi announced that the Congress will waive farmers’ loans within 10 days of coming to power in the state.
The farmers belonged to the influential Patidar community, which has traditionally voted for the BJP.