The humble 'chana' may decide BJP's political fate in three states it rules

In Madhya Pradesh, the country's biggest chana producing state, production this year is estimated to be almost 5.4 mn tonnes

India’s bumper 2017-18 chana (gram) harvest, exceeding 11 million tonnes, has rattled both farmers and the government in big producing states, as prices have crashed almost 18-30 per cent below the state-mandated Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 4,400 per quintal.
 
The sharp drop in prices couldn’t have come at a more difficult time, particularly for the two big producing states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan as both the states go to polls in the next few months.
 
Also in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, which goes to polls along with Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan later this year, falling chana prices have