A statewide vehicle march by farmers and rural workers began from Akole in Ahilyanagar district on October 26, with hundreds of participants from more than 20 districts of Maharashtra travelling towards Mumbai to press the government on farm support, crop insurance, land rights and social security.
Led by the All India Kisan Sabha, the convoy is expected to reach Azad Maidan in Mumbai late on Tuesday night, according to the organisers. The march is covering more than 200 km and is headed towards the chief minister’s official bungalow, Varsha.
A foot march was held through Akole town before the vehicle mobilisation began. The march was led by All India Kisan Sabha national president Ashok Dhawale, national general secretary Viju Krishnan, Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA Vinod Nikole and state president Yashwant Zhade, national joint secretary Ajit Nawale said.
The Nashik district convoy joined the mobilisation at Ghoti. It was led by former MLA JP Gavit, Irfan Sheikh, Indrajit Gavit and Sunil Masur. The participation from Nashik and other districts has turned the protest into a coordinated movement linking rural areas with the state capital.
The organisers are seeking adequate compensation for farmers, describing the existing assistance of Rs 5,000 per farmer family as insufficient. They have also demanded proper loan assistance, incentives for farmers who regularly repay loans and action on long-standing crop insurance issues.
The demands extend beyond immediate financial relief. The marchers are seeking ownership rights for cultivated forest land, Devasthan land, Inam land and grazing land. They have also called for the immediate release of two instalments of the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi and the re-inclusion of 81 lakh women in the Ladki Bahin Yojana.
The mobilisation also includes groups representing Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, or PESA, construction workers, nutrition workers, Accredited Social Health Activists and Anganwadi workers. These groups joined after a five-day satyagraha in Akole, which the organisers said had not received action from the government. Their demands include fair wages and social security.
The march therefore brings several administrative questions to Mumbai alongside the farm-related demands: how compensation is calculated and delivered, how crop insurance grievances are resolved, how land claims are recorded, and how welfare beneficiaries are included or excluded from state schemes. The organisers’ decision to take the convoy to the state capital places those issues before the departments and authorities responsible for policy and implementation.
The immediate next step is the convoy’s arrival in Mumbai and the planned approach to Azad Maidan and Varsha, where the participants intend to draw the government’s attention to their demands.
