Mandsaur: While farmers' anger is visible all across Madhya Pradesh, in Mandsaur - the epicenter of farmer protests — BJP's Yashpal Singh Sisodiya is likely to win yet again.
Mandsaur is the seat which Rahul Gandhi visited twice - last year in June when six farmers were killed in protests and again this year to commemorate.
On both the occasions he drew huge crowds, and attracted huge support when he promised farm loan waiver to the agricultural hub.
According to the latest data from the Election Commission of India, Sisodiya is ahead of his nearest rival, a Congress candidate, by over 17,000 votes - a lead that is unlikely to reverse at this stage.
Last June, Mandsaur became the symbol of farmer angst for the entire country after a protest demanding better crop prices turned violent and five agitating farmers were killed in police firing. The incident prompted Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to announce a generous compensation package for families of deceased farmers, followed by a new price support scheme for pulses and oilseeds.
The agrarian politics in Mandsaur became heavily politicised over the past few months after several farmer leader visited it in attempt to mobilise farmers in their favour. Interestingly the kin of the killed farmers, all Patidars, were campaigning for the Congress, through small sabhas, as they confirmed to News18.
In village Takravad, Balaram, the uncle of 24-year-old Bablu who was killed on June 6 last year, says in visible anger, “After they killed our boys, the ministers branded us as smugglers and bandits. They compared us to terrorists. Not one of the BJP leaders, from the current MLA to the Chief Minister, came to see us even. Now they ask us to vote for them! We’ll ensure that this government never gets elected again.”
The BJP MLA's near-certain win is also surprising given the anger in Rajput-dominated villages in Mandsaur against the BJP for their overturning Supreme Court's judgment in the SC/ST atrocities act.
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