madhya-pradesh-elections

Updated: Dec 11, 2018 20:21 IST

Despite the farmers’ agitation that rocked Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh in June 2017, where six farmers lost their lives to police firing and lathi charge, leading chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to announce a slew of welfare schemes to address the deepening agrarian crisis in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates from Malhargarh and Mandsaur have won.

Pipliamandi, where five farmers were shot, comes under Malhargarh assembly constituency, while one farmer lost his life in Daloda, which is part of the Mandsaur constituency.

Jagdish Dewda won by a margin of over 11,000 votes beating Congress candidate Parshuram Sisodiya in Malhargarh. The ECI is yet to officially declare the result. In Mandsaur, Yashpal Sisodiya was leading by more than 10,000 votes against veteran Congressman and former industries minister Narendra Nahata as of Tuesday evening.

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There are 12 seats in Mandsaur, Neemuch and Ratlam districts, which were the worst-affected during the farmers’ agitation that rocked Malwa region and put the BJP on the back foot.

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 family 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.

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