Maha poll: Why over 12 lakh workers likely to miss voting

More than 12 lakh sugarcane cutters from Marathwada, north Maharashtra, and Vidarbha could miss their opportunity to vote in the upcoming state assembly elections on November 20.

With the cane crushing season set to commence on November 15, lakhs of cutters from various districts have already migrated to the sugarcane belts in western Maharashtra and many other states, according to the Maharashtra Sugarcane Cutters and Transport Association.

The association has approached the Aurangabad high court bench, seeking directions to the Election Commission to ensure that this large group of voters is not deprived of their right to exercise their franchise.

However, the West Indian Sugar Mills Association, claimed that proper arrangements would be made to send the workers to their hometowns to get their fingers inked on November 20.

In their petition, Jeevan Rathod, president of the Maharashtra Sugarcane Cutters and Transport Association, said that 12-15 lakh cutters from Marathwada, north Maharashtra, and Vidarbha move to sugarcane cultivation regions in western Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu before the harvesting season.

With the current harvesting season underway, a significant number of sugarcane cutters have already left their homes and migrated to other regions for work, and they will not return until April or May 2025, Rathod stated in his petition.

Speaking to PTI, Rathod expressed concerns over the large-scale migration.

"If such a large section of the population is absent from exercising their franchise, it defeats the purpose of participative democracy," he said.

In the fragmented polity of Maharashtra, which has six key parties, the votes of these migrant workers are important as the victory margins are expected to be thin, said a political observer.

In their plea, the association has requested the court to direct the Election Commission to make suitable arrangements like providing postal ballots or transportation to allow the migrant workers to travel to their native places to vote and return to their workplaces.

They also urged the court to direct the state's Sugar Commissioner to coordinate with the Maharashtra State Cooperative Sugar Factories Federation Limited, West Indian Sugar Mills Association, and all sugar mills to declare a holiday for these workers on election day.

Among the country's top sugar producers, Maharashtra has over 200 private and cooperative sugar mills. The state produced about 110 lakh tonnes of sugar last year.

Sunil Rathod, the petitioner's lawyer, said the court on Wednesday inquired about the measures taken to facilitate voting for soldiers and government employees deployed in border areas, suggesting that similar provisions could be considered for the migrant sugarcane workers.

"The court has not given any directions but just inquired about the measures," he said.

He said notices have been issued to the state government, Sugar Commissioner, Maharashtra State Cooperative Sugar Factories Federation Ltd and West Indian Sugar Mills Association.

BB Thombare, president of the West Indian Sugar Mills Association, insisted that the workers won't be deprived of their voting rights and assured that proper arrangements would be made for their transportation to their respective constituencies.

"Generally, the crushing season starts in the first week of November and if polls are around this corner, we ensure that the sugarcane cutters visit their native places. On that day, the operations at the factories are kept shut. This time too, the practice will be followed," he said.

Due to assembly elections, the cane crushing season is starting on November 15 this year, Thombare said.

After the petition in the court, the government has proposed to the Sugar Commissioner to start the crushing season from November 25, he said.

"While there are around 5 lakh sugarcane cutters, the number of sugarcane growers is about 50 lakh. If there is a delay in the crushing season, the growers will suffer losses as the yield reduces. The next crop will also be delayed if sugarcane is not harvested in time," he said.

Thomabre added that after follow-ups with the Sugar Commissioner, an order was issued on Thursday night permitting sugarcane crushing from November 15.