The farmers, who launched their march from Thane two days ago, reached Azad Maidan on Thursday afternoon. The LSM leadership had said they will not leave the venue until all their demands are met.

The protesters want the government to provide farm loan waivers; compensate for drought-hit lands; enhance the minimum support price for crops; transfer forest rights to tribals; and implement the Swaminathan Committee recommendations.

The protesters are demanding drought compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre for non-irrigated land and Rs 1 lakh per acre for irrigated land. They also want the loan waiver to be "complete, and without any conditions".

The tribals, on the other hand, want the government to implement the Forest Rights Act effectively to ensure justice for the community. Besides the transfer of disputed forest land, they are demanding jobs for their youth.

The protesters were accompanied by a number of social activists, including Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav and Magsaysay Award-winner Rajendra Singh. Mr Singh has blamed the government for the recent "man-made" droughts.

Even as the farmers marched towards Azad Maidan on Thursday morning, the Mumbai police advised commuters to avoid JJ Flyover, Lalbagh Flyover and Parel Flyover until 10 am. Traffic snarls were witnessed in the vicinity of Azad Maidan too, although farmer leaders said they will try to cause only "minimum inconvenience" to residents.

State Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Girish Mahajan had met the protesters on Wednesday evening to schedule the meeting with the Chief Minister. LSM leaders said they would plan their future course of action after the interaction with Mr Fadnavis.

In the backdrop of the protest, Union Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh denied claims that demonetisation had harmed India's agriculture sector. He said while that initiative was taken in November 2016, this was about more recent concerns.

This was the third time farmers organised a mass protest in Maharashtra over a span of one year. While around 25,000 agriculturists took out a rally to demand loan waivers in March, hundreds of dairy farmers hit the streets to seek a hike in milk prices four months ago.