Farm politics dominated 2021 and its outcome will be seen in state polls

Early 2023 will see another round of crucial state elections -- in Gujarat, for instance

On January 26, 2021, a nation watched aghast as a group of people, purportedly farmers, climbed atop the central dome of the Red Fort and planted a flag there, making a statement about the farmers’ protests over three farm laws.

For close to 12 months, farmers blocked roads, stopped traffic, and, via their supporters in Parliament, managed to repeatedly disrupt discussion, even causing 12 MPs to be suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the entire 2021 winter session.

As the sun goes down on 2021, the government, accepting that discretion is the better part of valour, has withdrawn the farm laws and