In the heart of Maharashtra lies a tangled web of politics and sugar, inseparable and entwined. Here, where cooperative sugar mills were born, almost every politician has a stake in the sugar industry, and money flows like the sweet sap of sugarcane. In the 2024 elections, this dynamic remains unchanged. Yet, amidst this opulent display of power and wealth, there is a deafening silence. The very politicians who have built their empires on the sugar economy refuse to acknowledge one crucial aspect of their industry - the sugarcane cutters.

Amidst the lofty promises that fill the air, Rani Nikam (name changed) brought a new life into the world amidst the rustling sugarcane fields of Karad. But she is not alone in her plight. Many sugarcane cutters like her toil in the fields, cutting cane even as their bellies swell with new life. Their children, born into this harsh world, often meet tragic ends, crushed under the weight of tractors or lost to the unforgiving roads. Yet, the sugar mills owners turn a blind eye to their plight. Over ten lakh sugarcane cutters, half of them women, continue to fight for their fundamental rights as citizens of the country as their plight finds no resonance in the election campaign.