In Chhattisgarh, paddy price war between Congress and BJP leaves farmers pleased

Ahead of the Assembly election in Chhattisgarh, Kesribai Sahu is absolutely clear about whom she would vote for: whoever offers a better price for the paddy she grows on the four-and-half acre of land she owns in Patan in Durg district.

“Humein to paise se matlab hai – what matters to me is the money,” said the 68-year-old farmer in the most matter-of-fact way.

The importance of paddy in Chhattisgarh – a state that is called India’s rice bowl – cannot be overstated. Political observers believe disaffection among paddy farmers played a key role in the Congress ending the Bharatiya Janata Party’s 15-year-long rule in the state in 2018.

Ahead of the election that year, the Congress promised to pay paddy farmers a bonus of Rs 600 per quintal over and above the Centre-mandated minimum support price for the crop. Once elected, it delivered on the promise, burnishing its credentials among farmers, I found during a trip to the state’s paddy-growing plains in October.

At the time, it appeared that the paddy bonus scheme could well be the Congress’s winning card in Chhattisgarh.

Paddy politics heats up

A month since, though, the politics over paddy has become more competitive. The BJP was the first to up the ante last week,...

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