The Long March to 2019: Understanding the rise of farmers movements and its impact on the 2019 election

Presenters: Mekhala Krishnamurthy, Harish Damodaran, V M Singh

As we approach the 2019 general elections, Rural and Agricultural distress is an issue which is likely to dominate the election discourse. Over the last few years, India has seen a significant increase in farmers movements, best exemplified by the ‘Kisan Long March’ which signified the emergence of a new moment in Indian agricultural politics. Election season is therefore likely to see many promises being made to farmers as a response to this new mobilization. In this session of the CPR-TCPD “Dialogues on Indian Politics” we bring together a distinguished panel of academics, journalists and activists to understand the nature of the current rural political economy and its likely impact on the elections next year. In particular this panel will seek to unpack the reason behind the emergence of these new farmers movements. Could this be the beginning of a new politics?

Part 1

Part 2