As Maharashtra’s sugarcane crushing season begins, the timing overlaps with the state elections, potentially preventing over 1 million sugarcane workers from voting. These workers, primarily from districts like Nandurbar, Dhule, Beed, Parbhani, and Jalgaon, migrate to other areas for seasonal employment in sugarcane harvesting.
Thousands of tractor-trolleys carry workers and their essentials across western Maharashtra, sometimes covering over 1,200 km to reach destinations in neighboring states. For these workers, participating in the election would mean losing income, which they can’t afford. “Our entire economy depends on this harvest season,” a cutter shared, highlighting their financial reliance on this period.
A state committee had previously set the sugarcane cutting season to start on November 15. To support voting access, the government requested a 10-day delay in the schedule from the Election Commission (EC) but it was not granted. The Maharashtra Association of Sugarcane Cutters and Transport Workers has also taken this issue to court urging arrangements for voting near workplaces or transportation back home on election day. However, the court hearing is set for four weeks after the elections.
Association president Jeevan Haribhau Rathod expressed concerns over possible bogus voting with so many workers absent from their home villages. While the situation raises democratic challenges, workers’ livelihoods remain their priority.
This clash of timing has brought to light the need for flexible voting arrangements for migrant laborers, a significant segment of the population who often sacrifice civic participation for economic necessity.
