The outcome of the ZP elections will show whether the party has succeeded in establishing itself in rural Maharashtra. It isn’t just the civic polls in Mumbai and other cities that political parties are busy preparing for, as plans are being made to win mandate even in rural Maharashtra. This year, the nationalised banks’ share in crop loan disbursed to farmers in Maharashtra is Rs22,168 crore against district banks’ Rs13,114 crore. This has put several Congress, NCP leaders in a tight spot. Earlier this year, the BJP government presented the annual budget, which focused on rural areas and farmers.

Source: Hindustan Times June 11, 2016 19:07 UTC