In Odisha, alongside Lok Sabha elections, assembly polls are on the horizon. The Election Commission has announced the schedule. The state will vote for 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly seats, with polling days on May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1 for the Lok Sabha, and assembly elections will coincide in four phases. The announcement has drawn focus on the farmers of Western Odisha (Western Bank), as their votes significantly influence the outcome in 5 parliamentary constituencies and 35 assembly seats. Experts believe that this agriculturally rich western region, formerly a Congress bastion, sees farmers voting en masse, wielding considerable electoral influence.
In the 2019 general elections, the opposition BJP seized all five Lok Sabha seats from Western Odisha, while the ruling BJD, led by Naveen Patnaik, failed to secure a single seat in this region. Major crops in areas like Bargarh and Kalahandi include rice. The BJP won all five Lok Sabha seats in the western region, including Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir, Kalahandi, and Sundargarh, contributing to their total tally of eight seats, with the remaining three from Northern Odisha's Balasore and Mayurbhanj, and Bhubaneswar's coastal belt.
Despite the BJP's success in Lok Sabha elections, the people of this region primarily supported Naveen Patnaik's BJD in assembly polls. Out of the 35 assembly seats under these five western parliamentary constituencies, BJP candidates could only secure 8 seats, with the majority going to BJD. Congress also claimed victories in three of the assembly areas.
The Clout of Farmers in Western Odisha
Recognizing the influence of farmers in Western Odisha and their role in elections, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee has promised various agricultural incentives in their recent manifesto. These include agricultural loan waivers, a guaranteed price of 3,000 rupees per quintal for paddy, minimum support price (MSP), pension for farmers, allowances for agricultural workers, and full GST refunds on agricultural products. OPCC President Sharat Patnaik has emphasized the importance of farmers in the rural economy, promising support following Congress's potential victory in 2024.
Many Promises in Congress's Manifesto
Sharat Patnaik, Congress's state president hailing from Bolangir district in Western Odisha, said that farmers are the backbone of the rural economy and if Congress comes to power after the 2024 elections, every effort will be made to support the annadatas (food providers). Meanwhile, the ruling BJD, in power since 2000, has yet to release its manifesto but has claimed to have implemented several schemes for the welfare of farmers.
Focus of BJD on KBK Farmers
Particularly, projects like the Indravati Irrigation project and the Lower Suktel Irrigation project aim to benefit farmers in areas like Kalahandi and Bolangir. In addition, the BJD government has emphasized its commitment to agricultural development by initiating significant water infrastructure projects across various districts. Meanwhile, the BJP is trying to woo the area's farmers through schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, especially critical for the drought-prone KBK (Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput) regions.
How Vital Are Western Odisha's Farmers for BJP?
BJP leader and former MLA Pradeep Purohit expressed that Western Odisha's farmers strongly support the saffron party. Despite farming being the primary livelihood for 70 percent of the state's population, farmers in Western Odisha have been notably organized in voicing their concerns to the government.
