The JD(S) is planning to methodically seek votes for the byelections from farmers who benefited from the farm crop loan waiver scheme, the party’s pet programme implemented during the coalition regime.
On an average, party sources said there are about 25,000 farmer families who have benefited from the waiver in each of the rural constituencies going to polls.
The party leaders and workers plan to visit each of the beneficiary family and seek votes. “We will seek votes to provide opportunity for the party to work for farmers again. Our estimation is about 50% of the population in rural constituencies have benefited from the scheme,” former Cooperation Minister Bandeppa Kashempur told The Hindu.
The farm loan waiver launched by the JD(S)-Congress coalition government cost the State exchequer about ₹20,000 crore, reaching about two million having debt in commercial and cooperative sector. Last month, former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy also set up a helpline to assist those seeking information about the crop loan. Incidentally, the scheme in over a year’s period has reached 90% of eligible beneficiaries.
According to Mr. Kashempur, about 40,000 families have made use of the scheme in Gokak, while in Kagwad and Athani 25,000 farmers each had been identified as beneficiaries. The party will extensively use its database of farmers with addresses and phone numbers.
Mr. Kashempur said: “The floods in north Karnataka have ruined their life, while the government has not done much. Using the crop loan waiver scheme, we hope to do well in three Belagavi constituencies and the party’s strong base in South Karnataka.”
