district Wardha), Saroj Kashikar (Pulgao, district Wardha) and Shivraj Tondchirkar (Her, district Latur). This was the biggest success of SS in its entire political journey. Joshi was quite happy with that outcome just as he was happy that for the first time at the national level farmers were getting the due priority in policy-making. During that year of 1990 Singh had asked Joshi to submit any two names for the membership of Rajya Sabha. That time Joshi had recommended the names of Bhupinder Singh Mann and Prakash Ambedkar. It is worth noting that he did not push his own name. For variety of reasons, like rathayatra announced by BJP under the leadership of L.K. Advani and the nationwide agitations following Mandal Commission report on reservation policy which Singh decided to implement, the political situation in the country suddenly took a violent turn. Singh Government found it impossible to continue. In less than a year of taking charge, on 10 November 1990, he had to resign. The Chandrashekhar Government which succeeded also turned out to be short-lived leading to mid-term poll. Congress got majority in that poll of 1991 and Narasimha Rao’s government was installed. During that mid-term poll, another strange move by Joshi confounded his followers. SS did not contest the polls but supported Janata Dal candidates. But when there was no Janata Dal or other left-wing candidate fighting against the Congress, and only BJP was fighting against the Congress, Joshi asked his followers to vote for Congress and not for the BJP candidate. All those years Joshi had regarded Congress as the number one enemy, but this time suddenly BJP (or any other party he regarded as communal) was labeled as number one enemy. Consequently, in the constituency of Nashik where earlier, because of SS backing, Sharad Pawar’s PDP had succeeded in defeating all Congress candidates, Joshi supported the candidate 256
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Sharad Joshi : Leading Farmers to the Centre Stage
