Tomatoes fuel fresh fears of food inflation spike in October
New Delhi: Tomato prices are once again raising concerns about a potential spike in food inflation this month, as vegetable inflation surged to a 14-month high of 36% in September, driving food inflation for consumers up to 9.2%. With fewer tomatoes arriving at mandis and festive season demand rising, households are feeling the pinch of soaring prices.
Last Tuesday, Umakant, a vegetable vendor in South Delhi’s Prakash Mohalla, who buys his stock from the Okhla Mandi, noticed several customers walking away due to the sharp increase in vegetable prices. Tomatoes, in particular, were being sold at ₹120 per kg. Retail tomato prices had jumped by 233% in July compared to June, but saw a 23% drop in August, providing some respite. However, excessive rainfall in September has presented a new challenge, as mandi arrivals have more than halved since August.
Year-on-year vegetable inflation reached 36% in September, the highest in 14 months. The situation for tomatoes has worsened since early October, with prices exceeding ₹100 per kg in many cities across the country. Meanwhile, prices of onions and potatoes continue to remain high, further straining household budgets.
On October 7, the Centre stepped in to address the issue, launching tomato sales at ₹65 per kg in Delhi NCR. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs termed the price hike “unwarranted,” pointing to the “possible role of market intermediaries” amidst the high-demand festive season.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
