Bleak and barren. Polls draw to a close but pursuit of Vikas for marginalised as futile as ever

In the sprawling fields of Solapur, the legacy of the Prabhakar Bande family has been overshadowed by decades of despair.

• Also read:Despite good initiatives, backing out on farm reforms is a negative

For fifty long years, since the land that nourished their ancestors’ dreams was swallowed by the vast expanse of the Ujani dam built with the promise of ‘ development’, the Bande family has been embroiled in a relentless battle for compensation. This battle seems as endless as the drought-stricken plains surrounding them.

“For three generations, we’ve been fed promises of development. But whose development are they talking about? And at what cost? Hundreds of families were stripped of their land, and compensation has been a mere pittance. Those who did receive land got plots in arid, barren areas. Our struggles and losses are consistently overlooked in every election campaign,” says Prabhakar.

Amidst the fervour of election campaigns, a grim shadow loomed large. In April alone, as politicians paraded their promises of progress, 267 farmers in Marathwada region of Maharashtra succumbed to the crushing weight of distress and financial abyss, their lives fading like whispers in the wind.

While politicians from all parties proclaim their commitment to eradicating corruption, this entrenched scourge continues to exacerbate the plight of farmers. Recently, Vitthal Dabhade, a farmer from Sambhajinagar, took his own life after a bank manager demanded a bribe to approve his loan.

Vikas: A Mirage

 “They speak of vikas, of progress and prosperity,” laments Vimal Nagtilak, her voice heavy with the dust of disillusionment as she toils in dry fields of Dharashiv for a meagre wage. “Yet, for us, this vikas is but a mirage in the scorching heat of reality. Its name was conspicuously absent from their polished speeches and glossy posters.”

As the echo of campaign slogans dies down and a new government prepares to take the helm, the youth of Solapur, like Altaf Sayyed, stare into the horizon, their eyes searching for a sign of the promised vikas. “The search for vikas is unending for us,” says Altaf, his voice a quiet storm of frustration and defiance. Unemployed and unyielding, he and many others stand at the precipice of hope and despair, wondering if the dawn of development will ever brighten their darkened doorsteps.

Professor Ashok Nagnavare from Latur says that farmers, people from marginalised communities, and the worker class are in deep despair, and their issues were never reflected in the election campaign. Even PM Narendra Modi, in his election campaign, refrained from speaking about any development schemes his government launched, including Smart City, Jan Dhan Yojana, Swacch Bharat, Make in India, Skill India, Mudra Yojana, and so on.

Communal Agenda

“Forget about development programmes; the elections in Beed were purely contested along caste lines, and now post-election, tensions between the Marathas and Vanjaris are on the rise. Politicians have finished their campaigns; one will get elected and disappear for the next five years. Meanwhile, we’re left to suffer the consequences of the communal divide,” says Anna Bansode, a farmer from Beed.

• Also read:Facing no punitive action, Maha sugar barons ‘work’ for BJP victory

Yet, this disturbing pattern is not unique to Beed; in many constituencies, campaign narratives drenched in emotive and divisive rhetoric have fuelled the fires of religious and caste polarisation, casting the promise of vikas into the shadows.