Maharashtra: MVA Claims Victory in APMC Polls, Morale High Ahead of Assembly Elections

Delhi: The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition in Maharashtra has claimed it emerged victorious in the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) polls held across the state. The APMC polls are seen as an important indicator of the political mood in rural areas, and the MVA's victory is likely to boost its morale ahead of the Assembly elections in 2024.

The MVA coalition comprises the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Congress.

The APMC polls were held on April 28, and the results were declared on April 29. The MVA won 76 of 131 bodies in the elections while the ruling alliance bagged 31 bodies. One body comprises around 18 seats.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday slammed the ruling Shinde-Fadnavis government over the poll results. According to a report in the Times of India, he said the APMC result was the first blow by the farmers to the ruling alliance. Further, the Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and former minister Aaditya Thackeray said that the MVA’s win showed there was no place for traitors, according to Raut.

The APMC polls are seen as an important indicator of the political mood in rural areas. These committees are responsible for the regulation of agricultural markets in the state, and they play a crucial role in setting the prices of crops. The APMCs are also a key source of revenue for the state government, as they levy a market fee on the sale of agricultural produce.

The MVA has claimed that its victory in the APMC polls is a reflection of the people's faith in the government's policies and programs. Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said that the results of the APMCs were showing people’s angst against the ruling alliance, and it will manifest in other elections as well.

Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil said the MVA won all 18 seats in his home turf Sangli. In Akola APMC of Vidarbha region, the NCP-backed panel bagged 11 seats, BJP managed five, and two went to the panel backed by the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena. 

The BJP, however, claims that it won the highest number of seats in the election. BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said that the saffron party has won 201 seats, followed by Shiv Sena, which bagged 42 seats, according to reports.

The political party symbols are not used in APMC elections. Instead, the parties back “panels” to fight the elections.

In the key Nashik APMC, the NCP won nine of 15 director seats and the BJP got five. But NCP leader Devidas Pingale alleged they lost the five seats due to “official interference”, the Indian Express reported.

Still, the BJP-backed panels managed to win in Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ahmednagar, and Karjat, according to the Indian Express report. The Pune election took on extra importance as it was held after 20 years. In Pune, the BJP-backed ‘all-party panel’, primarily including NCP rebels, swept 13 of the 18 director posts, which is concerning for the Sharad Pawar-led party.