The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has emerged as the biggest winning combination in over 200 Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) across the state, while several new political equations appeared to have emerged in these elections.
Tentative results of APMC polls
Elections for 281 of the total 306 APMCs were held in two phases last week, with voting taking place on April 27 and 30. While the complete results are yet to be announced, it appears that the NCP and BJP are the biggest gainers in the elections. The NCP seems to have managed to keep its hold on Western Maharashtra, parts of North Maharashtra, and Marathwada largely intact, while the BJP appears to have swept Vidarbha along with parts of North Maharashtra and Marathwada and also made a few inroads in Western Maharashtra. However, the complete party-wise breakup of the election results was not available immediately since these elections are contested in individual capacity and not as political parties.
The Congress couldn’t match its previous performance, while the elections didn't bring good news for the Shinde faction. The Shiv Sena (UBT) wasn't in the field in significant numbers. It'll now be interesting to watch how these elections influence state politics as some new equations were seen at the ground level.
Importance of APMCs and its elections
APMCs are trading centers where farmers bring their produce, and traders (mostly wholesalers) buy the produce in auctions. At least 15 directors are elected every five years for governance, with one of these elected directors then chosen as chairman. Directors of agriculture credit societies, gram panchayat members, registered traders, and registered head-loaders form the electorate for these directorial posts. The Shinde government was contemplating to include farmers also as the electorate for these elections. However, the legislation couldn't be amended in time, and the elections went off in the traditional style. At some of the APMCs, like the Pune APMC, elections were held for the first time in the past 20 years.
The APMC elections are also an indication of the directions in which the political winds are flowing, as traditionally political heavyweights become the chairman of the APMCs. Many politicians eye the post of chairman as they get access to farmers, and their prospects to contest the assembly elections and become an MLA increase.
APMC results show BJP-Shinde won't return to power: Jayant Patil
NCP Maharashtra state unit Chief Jayant Patil said that the results indicate that the ruling dispensation is unlikely to form a government on their own in the next assembly elections. "The MVA united has significantly dented the BJP across the state. Though they have taken the 40 MLAs of the Shinde faction along with them, today’s results show that they won’t be able to come back in the same majority in assembly elections. This is also a reflection of the government's lackluster attitude towards farmers," Patil said.
