PM-KISAN and a nationalistic campaign seem to have worked for the BJP
In November last year, thousands of farmers marched to Parliament to highlight the agrarian crisis and demand higher crop prices, full loan waivers and drought relief. There were quite a few such protests in 2018, and considering their scale, many believed that it was likely that the discontentment of farmers, who also make up an important voting bloc given that half the country’s population is engaged in farm-related work, would hurt the prospects of the BJP in the parliamentary election. However, with a thumping majority for the second time, the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to have successfully neutralised the anti-government sentiment among farmers.
Priorities while voting
Lokniti’s post-poll survey found that the majority of farmers did not vote on issues that directly concern them. Development (’vikas’) was important — 15% of farmers went to the polling booths with this as their single-most important agenda. Unemployment was second (10%). Surprisingly, only 5% had farming or related issues as their most important agenda when they went to cast their votes. This may also be considered a failure of farmers’ movements and the Opposition which did not politicise farmers’ issues sufficiently in the few months before the election. Farmers’ distress was very much on the national agenda until the beginning of the election year.
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