Can bullock-cart racing swing elections in Maharashtra’s Shirur constituency?

Candidates across party lines are wooing voters using the caste and religion card, development schemes, Balakot airstrikes, the promise of minimum income guarantee, among other things. But these mean little to voters of Maharashtra’s Shirur constituency. The issue closest to their hearts is the sport of bullock-cart racing. The importance of the sport is such that it may as well decide the fate of candidates contesting elections here.

Polls for the 2019 General Elections in Pune district’s Shirur constituency will take place on April 29. The constituency will see sitting Member of Parliament from Shiv Sena, Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, facing Marathi television actor Amol Kolhe. Up until recently, Kolhe, who is now with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was with the Shiv Sena. As for Patil, it will not be easy for a three-time winner to defeat Kolhe who has garnered a huge fan following across the state. Kolhe had recently played the role of Sambhaji, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s son, in a popular Marathi serial Swarajya Rakshak Sambhaji.

The issue of bullock-cart racing is so important that both the candidates arrived in bullock carts to file their nominations. The reason behind bullock-cart racing assuming so much significance is the parallel economy it drives.

Bullock-cart racing as the decisive factor

The ban on bullock-cart racing came into effect in 2014. Since then, Shirur constituency has been badly hit. When Newslaundry visited Shirur, constituents spoke of the impact of the ban and their struggles because of it.

Sixty-two-year-old Kaluram Sakore of Kendur village told Newslaundry, “Bullock cart racing was an age-old tradition and was in practice since Khandoba (a Hindu deity) yatra came into existence thousands of years ago. From October to June, most villages in our area observe jatras (fair) during which the event of bullock-cart racing takes place. Many people come to watch the race. This, in turn, results in a whole market getting set up in the area. From a chabuk (hunter) seller to a vada pao (a local snack in Maharashtra) seller—whoever comes to the place to sell their wares makes good money. This continues for almost six months and is a parallel economy which helps people earn their livelihood, even if they are unable to earn anything from agriculture.”

Sakore said he used to have six bullocks but he had to sell off three. He said, “We raise our bullocks like our sons. We give them mineral water to drink, but the government thinks that we feed them alcohol during races. In our village, farming is not sustainable because of water shortage, so the business generated during bullock-cart races was an alternate source of income which helped us survive.”

Rokhal village’s Vikas Thombre, 35, who breeds bullocks, also told Newslaundry that the cost of bullocks have crashed since the ban. “Earlier we used to sell a bullock for ₹40,000. Now the prices have halved. It has become a loss-making business as bullock-cart racing has stopped. This has disturbed the whole economy for farmers. When we had bulls, we reared cows too. We used to sell their milk, but now the whole scenario has changed.”

Sixty-seven-year-old Balunath Thombre is demanding that bullock-cart racing be re-started. “These politicians give us false assurances every year. They say that they will appeal to the Supreme Court to restart the race. Now that elections are here, this has become the most important issue for this constituency.” But once voting is over politicians will disregard our demand again till the next elections, Thombre said.

Newslaundry also spoke to Chakan’s Vikas Chavhan, 30, who used to run a vada pav stall and also had a small truck to transport the bullocks to the racing venue. He said, “Bullock-cart racing used to happen for almost six months every year in our constituency. I used to sell vada pav during racing events and used to earn ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 in a month. I also used to transport the bullocks in my 909 Eicher truck to the racing event.” Per ferry, Chavhan was able to earn ₹2,500 and overall, in a month, he was able to earn ₹40,000 approximately.

Chavhan said he had bought the truck on loan and used to pay instalments of ₹32,000 a month. “My truck was seized as I was unable to pay the instalments. Every year, I hope that bullock-cart racing will start again but nothing has happened. So last year, I sold 11,000 square feet of land and started a small food joint.” However, the business isn’t profitable yet, he added. “When the government in Tamil Nadu can start Jallikattu, even after the Supreme Court’s ban, then why are our politicians lagging behind? They can start a dance bar but they will not start a sport which helps people to survive,” he said.

Harshad Gore, 28, who used to sell mineral water during bullock-cart races, said, “I used to make a profit of ₹16,000 every month for almost 5-6 months when the races were held.” Now, Gore says, he doesn’t have a business that can help him earn as much. “Water scarcity is also a major problem in our area but still bullock-cart racing is the most important issue. It should be the first thing to be resolved by whoever wins the elections.”

It is significant to note that Chavhan, Gore and other young men who traditionally used to support the Shiv Sena are supporting the NCP over the issue of bullock-cart racing.

When Newslaundry visited the weekly bullocks market in Chakan, a large number of people expressed their anger over politicians’ inability to restart the bullock-cart racing.

Fifty-two-year-old Kishan Lokhande of Junnar, who comes to the bullock market every week to sell peanuts, said, “The politics of this constituency is running on bullock-cart racing but I know nobody is going to to help. Earlier, for six months at least, I used to be sure that I would earn enough money to take back home.”

After bullock-cart racing was banned, Lokhande no longer has this surety. “Now, I come here every week so that at least four days in a month, I can earn some money,” he said. The 52-year-old also pointed out that this was not a fair, but just a weekly market where the footfall was less comparatively. “I hardly earn ₹250 in a day. It is not enough to survive. From the stature of ant to the stature of an elephant, the economy of every person in Shirur constituency was based on bullock-cart racing.”

Peth Pargaon village’s Sulochana Netke, 50, was selling bullock accessories in the market. While talking to Newslaundry, she said, Selling morkya (hunter), chabuk (hunter), ghanti (bells) and other accessories for bullocks during the races was a profitable business. “Racing used to take place every day in different villages. I used to easily earn around ₹30,000 in a month but now, I can’t even earn ₹5,000 in a month.”

Gadrabai Netke, 65, who hails from Sulochana’s village, also deals in selling bullock accessories. She said, “Earlier we used to earn around ₹1,500 a day but we don’t even make ₹500.” She added that water scarcity prevented them from farming. “I feel Adhalrao (the sitting Member of Parliament) will do something and will resolve our problem,” she said.

Fifty-one-year-old Hirabai Shinde of Rethwadhi village, who was selling ropes at the market, said, “Modi sarkar ko bolo daud shuru karne ko, dhanda-manda ho gaya hai (tell the Modi government to start bullock-cart racing, we are losing our business).” Shinde was able to earn ₹5,000 a month by selling ropes. “I used to earn ₹5,000 a month, now I am not able to earn even ₹500,” she said.

Ramkrishna Takalkar, Secretary, All India Bullock-Cart Racing Association, explained the economics and politics related to bullock-cart racing. He said, “The Khillari bullocks are generally reared by the people in dry areas of Sangi, Solapur and Satara. They sell these bullocks to people from Shirur and similar areas where bullock-cart racing used to take place. As these areas are barren, agriculture is not profitable. People were largely engaged in the business of selling bullocks. Khillari cows don’t produce more than 2-3 litres of milk. This is mostly consumed by their calves. The main income for a breeder is the calf which is sold as a bullock. Now as the ban is in effect, nobody is buying bullocks. This has indirectly affected the population of cows in these areas, around 50 per cent of cows have vanished.”

Takalkar said that in areas like Shirur more than 100 bullock carts participate in a single racing event. He said, “Mostly the people who participate in bullock-cart racing are rich people and they do this as a hobby. The ban on racing doesn’t affect them.” However, the people who get employment because of the racing event are badly affected because of the ban, he said, adding, “People who transport bullocks, who decorate carts, who sell mineral water, drum beaters, food vendors are the ones who are affected. One cannot depend on agriculture because of water shortage, so racing was the source of employment for a majority of the people in these villages.”

While explaining how bullock-cart racing became an election issue in Shirur, Takalkar said, “Every politician now wants the vote of people associated with bullock-cart racing. But till 2006, no politician was interested in bullock-cart racing.” Earlier, they used to pay a formal visit to racing events. After 2006, animal activists started protesting against bullock-cart racing. Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, who was the MP at that time, started protesting against the government. He portrayed a wrong picture that the NCP is opposing bullock-cart racing. He never informed locals that animal activists are opposing it. This was the politics which started then and is still continuing, said Takalkar. 

Takalkar said after the ban came into effect, the NCP was not helping the locals when it came to bullock-cart-related issues as they were irked with them because of their support for Patil. “But now the scenario is changing. Despite promising them multiple times, Patil didn’t do anything. In fact, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Prakash Javdekar and other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders came forward and helped people associated with bullock-cart racing in Shirur despite knowing that they are not going to get any political benefit for their party from this area.” However, Patil criticised them as he doesn’t want people to support the BJP, Takalkar said. “Locals were also surprised over his act and now they have realised that the sitting MP is just doing politics to secure votes.” He should have let all parties including, the NCP, Congress, the BJP come together to work for the issue of bullock-cart racing instead of playing politics, he added.  

“In order to secure votes, he didn’t allow other parties to work on this issue. The issue still remains unaddressed,” said Takalkar, adding, “A year back, he was criticising the BJP. Now he is asking for votes on their name. However, people have realised this and the don’t like it. The NCP has never asked for votes on the issue of bullock-cart racing before this election but now for the first time, they are asking for votes on this issue.” Basically, people are angry with Patil, added Takalkar.