Raju Shetti, a prominent advocate for farmers' rights, has submitted his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 from Maharashtra's sugar heartland, presenting himself as the voice of the farming community.

An influential farmer leader in the State’s ‘sugar heartland’, Mr. Shetti, had won the seat twice in the 2009 and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections

On April 15, Raju Shetti, leader of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) and former MP, accused both the ruling Mahayuti and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalitions of neglecting farmers and rural voters in Maharashtra. He filed his nomination for the Hatkanangale Lok Sabha seat in Kolhapur district, a key figure in the state's agricultural areas. Shetti, known for his influence in the 'sugar heartland' comprising Kolhapur, Sangli, and Satara districts, chose to contest independently despite winning the seat twice before in the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections. His nomination filing was a spectacle, arriving at the Collectorate building on a bullock cart surrounded by thousands of farmers.