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By:

Ramesh Patil

30 January 2025 at 2:35:31 pm

Rain Check for Marathwada

The uneven march of the southwest monsoon is once again exposing the fragility of rain-fed agriculture. The southwest monsoon has never been an equal-opportunity visitor. This year it has arrived with a familiar paradox. While Konkan, Mumbai and large parts of western Maharashtra have been inundated by torrential rain, Marathwada remains trapped in a frustrating cycle of scattered showers followed by long dry spells. For a region where agriculture depends overwhelmingly on the vagaries of the...

Rain Check for Marathwada

The uneven march of the southwest monsoon is once again exposing the fragility of rain-fed agriculture. The southwest monsoon has never been an equal-opportunity visitor. This year it has arrived with a familiar paradox. While Konkan, Mumbai and large parts of western Maharashtra have been inundated by torrential rain, Marathwada remains trapped in a frustrating cycle of scattered showers followed by long dry spells. For a region where agriculture depends overwhelmingly on the vagaries of the skies, this is not merely a meteorological curiosity. It is an economic emergency in slow motion. Forced Delay The immediate casualty is the Kharif sowing season. Across much of Marathwada, farmers have been forced to delay sowing because the soil simply does not contain enough moisture. Others who took the gamble after the first pre-monsoon showers now find themselves worrying whether their newly sown fields will survive the intervening dry spell. What should have been a period of activity and cautious optimism has instead become one of anxious waiting. The crops most affected are also those that define the region’s agricultural economy. Soybean, cotton and tur remain the principal Kharif crops, supplemented by pulses such as moong and urad. Each requires timely sowing and dependable early-season rainfall to establish healthy growth. A delayed start compresses the growing season, while interrupted rainfall threatens germination itself. Should seedlings fail, farmers face the unenviable prospect of re-sowing, doubling expenditure on seeds, labour and field preparation. Agricultural science offers little room for improvisation. Experts consistently advise that sowing should begin only after the soil has accumulated adequate moisture. Premature planting in anticipation of rain is often more damaging than waiting a few extra days. A dry spell immediately after sowing can wipe out germinating seeds, forcing farmers back to square one. In regions where input costs have steadily risen and farm incomes remain uncertain, such setbacks can be financially devastating. Optimal Sowing Yet the dilemma confronting farmers is understandable. Waiting too long also carries risks. Every passing day narrows the optimal sowing window, potentially reducing yields even if the rains eventually arrive. The decision is therefore no longer simply agricultural; it has become a calculated wager against an increasingly unpredictable climate. The India Meteorological Department has offered a measure of hope by forecasting increased rainfall across Marathwada in the coming days. If those predictions materialise and the rains remain sustained rather than episodic, sowing operations could gather pace rapidly. Farmers possess remarkable resilience and can often recover lost time when weather conditions cooperate. But optimism must remain tempered. One or two heavy showers cannot compensate for prolonged moisture deficits. Agriculture depends less on spectacular downpours than on steady, well-distributed rainfall. This uneven distribution of the monsoon is becoming a recurring feature rather than an isolated anomaly. Climate variability is making rainfall increasingly erratic, producing episodes of both flood and drought within the same state. Maharashtra now illustrates this contradiction vividly. While cities on the western coast grapple with waterlogging and overflowing rivers, farmers barely a few hundred kilometres away stare at cracked fields and empty skies. The challenge is no longer merely the quantity of rainfall but its timing and distribution. Such volatility demands a broader rethink of agricultural policy. Weather forecasting has improved considerably, yet translating forecasts into timely farm-level decisions remains uneven. Extension services must ensure that advisories reach farmers quickly and in forms they can readily use. Crop insurance schemes must respond faster when failed germination forces re-sowing. Investment in farm ponds, watershed management and micro-irrigation can reduce dependence on the monsoon's increasingly uncertain rhythm. None of these measures can replace rain, but they can soften its absence. Marathwada’s predicament serves as a reminder of how deeply India’s rural economy remains tied to the monsoon. Despite advances in technology and decades of agricultural policy, millions of farmers still begin each season with the same ritual: watching the horizon for rain clouds. When those clouds hesitate, the consequences ripple far beyond the farm gate, affecting rural incomes, commodity prices and, eventually, the wider economy. For now, Marathwada waits. The forecasts promise relief, but forecasts do not irrigate fields. Only sustained rainfall can rescue the Kharif season from drifting further off course. Until then, every cloud carries hope, every dry day compounds anxiety, and every missed shower reminds India that its agricultural fortunes remain inseparable from the caprices of the monsoon. (The writer is a farmer and resident of Latur district. Views personal.)

Clever seat selection helped BJP to secure historic win

The party won 65 seats against Congress, 37 against NCP (SP) and 29 against Shiv Sena (UBT)

Clever seat selection

Mumbai: The BJP’s strategic seat sharing with the allies has proved beneficial for the party. An analysis of the Assembly election results show that the BJP has scored over its main rival, the Congress, in a big way because of the direct fights.


The analysis shows that BJP defeated all three constituents of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) – in the direct fights. This is attributed as one of the reasons for the BJP’s historic poll success.


The BJP contested 147 out of 288 seats. In 76 constituencies, it faced Congress. BJP secured victory in 65 seats and lost only 11 seats, making it a whopping 86 per cent of the total direct fights. This was followed by an even stronger performance against NCP (SP). Of the total 39 fights with Sharad Pawar’s party, BJP captured 37 seats making it 95 per cent of the total fights with NCP (SP). BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT) were head-to-head in 32 constituencies, of which BJP emerged victorious in 29 seats, making this 91 per cent of the total direct contests.


According to a BJP strategist the party had bargained hard with its allies, Shiv Sena and NCP to get the desired constituencies in the seat sharing formula. “We had studied to potential candidates of the MVA. That helped us in choosing the seats where we can register comfortable victories,” the strategist said.


BJP spokesperson Niranjan Shetty attributed the success to all the party workers who worked hard to boost development, infrastructure in the state. He gave credit to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his contribution to the party’s success.


Shetty pointed out that in 2019, Uddhav Thackeray had stalled all the “novel” and “legendary” projects that Fadnavis had started when he had taken over as CM, making it very easy for the people of Maharashtra to strike a comparison between both the leaders and the potential they had for serving the people. “Devendra Fadnavis gave up his post very easily for the larger good. There are many such examples like Venkaiah Naidu who was BJP National President and later worked as the Vice President of India because that was the need of the hour. We seldom care about our posts,” Shetty told The Perfect Voice.


Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe refused to call the election results as the people’s mandate. “This is not at all a Janata mandate. Despite Maharashtra struggling with so many basic social issues, how can BJP acquire such a huge mandate is the question. If a student copies and fails with just passing marks, it can go unnoticed, but if a student copies and bags the number one position, something is fishy. Why is the BJP scared of ballot papers?” he said.

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