Kanjibhai Patel, 62, is a marginal farmer in Kesni village of Patan district. But his asset is not the 2 acres he owns, it is the tubewell in his field. About 1,500 feet deep with a submersible motor fitted at about 550 feet, it cost him—and seven other farmers who invested in the tubewell—about Rs 11.50 lakh.

Water: it’s an investment that brought Patel and his group dizzying political power. With tubewells in the neighbouring areas of Chanasma taluka running dry, Patel and his group get to decide who they will share the water with—Patel is with the BJP and anyone who wants water must join him and support the party or they don’t get water. “Mostly, it is political affiliation that decides,” said Vithalbhai Patel, sarpanch of Kesni village. “At all other times, there is no caste or political differences. But during elections, the cartels play an influential role,” he said.

In scores of villages across Patan and Mehsana districts—the area goes to polls in the second phase on December 16—with depleting groundwater, such cartels and pani mandalis (water cooperatives) rule local politics. In this election, the cartels, mostly controlled by Patels, are rooting for the BJP while the mandalis, which belong mostly to farmers of the socially- and economically-backward classes, are with the Congress.

Chanasma is a Congress stronghold and sitting MLA Maljibhai Desai is contesting again. The farmers are angry with the Narendra Modi government because power supply to farms has been reduced from 14 hours to 8 hours and annual tariff has been increased from Rs 600 to Rs 1,100. But there’s little they can do about it but fret. “Supporters of the Congress are under pressure from the BJP water cartels to switch loyalties. During elections, it’s all about water politics,” said Karshanbhai Patel, a farmer and head of Gandhi Ashram.

... contd.