Four of Beed’s six assembly constituencies reported a dip in voting, which can be attributed to the migration of cane cutters for sugar mills in different parts of the state and in neighbouring states at the start of the season. Ashti is the only constituency which saw a significant increase in voter turnout , followed by Kaij, which showed a slight rise in the increase in voters.
Beed Assembly constituency had recorder a voter turn out of 64.61 per cent in 2019, which fell to 61.50 this year. Similarly Georai, Majalgaon and Parli saw a dip in voting. Kaij saw a slight rise from 63.38 in 2019 to 63.48 in 2024. Ashti is the only assembly segment which has seen a good rise in voter turnout from 64.61 five years back to the recent 71.43 per cent.
Maharashtra’s sugarcane crushing season was caught in a limbo as the question of migrant cane cutters voting had come up. According to the original recommendation of the ministerial committee headed by the Chief Minister, November 15 was supposed to be the start date of the crushing season. A section of political leaders led by BJP MLA Suresh Dhas from Majalgaon had asked for the season to be deferred as the date of polls announced by the Election Commission of India was November 20. However, the matter was resolved, with the Sugar Commissioner at last issuing licenses on November 14.
The voting percentage fall shows most of the cane cutters had already gone away. Of the 8-8.5 lakh cane cutters employed in the state, 5 lakh are from Beed alone. Another 4 lakh who go out of the state to harvest are from districts of Ahmednagar, Amravati, Nandurbar and Yavatmal. Some sugar mills like the Dharashiv based Natural Sugar and Allied Industries had made arrangements for cane cutters to travel to Beed for voting. But cane cutters who had gone to far off places were not able to come back for voting – which is reflected in the voting percentage.
Beed is one of the districts where the OBC versus Maratha consolidation is said to have taken place and that its effect is expected to be seen in the polls. Jayant Patil, the NCP(SP) chief had alleged that the BJP ensured many independent candidates were in the fray, which would eat away into the MVA’s votes. Beed is the home constituency of former BJP leader Gopinath Munde. His daughter Pankaja Munde was defeated by the NCP (SP)’s Bajrang Sonawane in the recently held Loksabhal polls while Dhanajay Munde, the state agriculture minister is the NCP (AP) candidate from Parli.
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