By Rajeev Khanna, IANS
Rajkot : In the vast farmer-dominated belt of Saurashtra, water and power shortages will dominate the Gujarat assembly elections.
An area predominantly rural, Saurashtra is a region known as the groundnut bowl of India. In addition, it is a major producer of cotton.
It is a region that is drought-prone, not because there is no rainfall but because of its inverted pan topography, marked by impermeable rock structure.
The farmers have a major say in the political affairs of the state. Many an issue like the supply of the Narmada waters are centred on Saurashtra, which is otherwise also known as Kathiawad.
Saurashtra and Kutch account for 58 seats in the 182-member legislative assembly. Given the current political scenario, it will be Saurashtra which will decide who runs the government over the next five years.
Though damaged badly by dissidence in the region, the ruling BJP is hoping that the electorate will support it on the issue of water and power.
The Congress is telling the voters that the BJP has failed to keep its promises.
A trip around villages reveals that that the electorate is divided and the farming community is in no mood to give concessions to any party when it comes to the issues of water and power.
Several farmers told IANS that the water scenario has generally been good, not because of the work done by the government but because of good monsoon over the last five years.
They said that good rainfall had resulted in an increase in the otherwise depleting water table in the region, because of which they were able to draw water to drink and irrigate from the wells that have been charged afresh.
“It is only because of the monsoons that we have been getting water for irrigation. Otherwise who knows when the government will provide enough water through its channels,” said Pancharatna Vekhariya of Ghorana village on the outskirts of Rajkot district.
Farmers in Kherdi village near Maiyasan too expressed similar views, saying they were primarily dependent on bore wells for irrigation.
“We want a government that works. It is an irony that no matter which party is in power, the farmers are at the receiving end,” complained Vallabhbhai Patel.
Power outages are playing out to be the most important factor. The farmers across Saurashtra are not happy with the amount of power they get to irrigate their fields. Their complaint is the supply is not only less but erratic.
Shavjibhai Patel from Virpar Veratiya village of Jamnagar district pointed out: “I just cannot spend 24 hours in my field waiting for the power supply to come.”
Laljibhai of Kherdi village pointed out: “Throughout the region, the power supply is between six to eight hours, far less than what has been promised to us.”
So, for whom will the farmers vote? There are no clear answers.
While some feel the Narendra Modi-led BJP government has failed to come up to their expectations, others say it definitely brought about improvements even if it did not perform 100 percent.
Of course there will be other factors like caste equations too that will decide whom the parched land of Kathiawad will pick.