Five states hold the key as loan waiver to have much wider impact in 2019 LS elections

New Delhi, Dec 20: This is amply clear from the recent political developments in the country that loan waiver is going to be the most important election issue for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Will the slogan of waiving of loan implemented effectively that only time will tell? But the way its impacts are visible all across those five states will decide the result of Lok sabha elections which have around 50 per cent farmers' debt.

Around 40 per cent Lok Sabha seats are with these five states. Andhra Pradesh (25), Uttar Pradesh (80), Maharashtra (48), Karnataka (28) and Tamil Nadu (39) constitute 220 seats in the Lok Sabha. They have 49 per cent of the total agriculture debt. However, political formation of these five state is such that it is very difficult to tell which party will form the government.

The electoral battle in some of the state is such that both the principal oppositions will fight the election on the same issue. And their voters are clearly divided still the way muttering over agriculture loan waiver has started, it is very clear that everyone is concerned over its impact in the Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress and the BJP do not have any significant presence in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and both of them will try to make their foothold in these states by forging an alliance. Actually the BJP had made a huge difference in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka in the last Lok Sabha elections. The BJP managed to get 114 seats out of 220 in these five states.

But there is another fact that in 2008 after loan waiver by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the Congress has been able to garner 85 seats in these five states. It managed to win second term in the office just because of these victories.

The problem of farmers in the states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra is more serious. Andhra Pradesh will have Assembly elections along with the Lok Sabha elections. Besides Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections in Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh will also take place.