Nashik to Mumbai long march likely to be withdrawn on January 28 after assurance from CM Fadnavis

The long march for land rights which had started from Nashik to reach Mumbai on February 3, will likely be withdrawn on Wednesday (January 28, 2026), after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave an assurance to their delegation on Tuesday (January 27, 2026).

A delegation of CPI(M) and All India Kisan Sabha held a meeting with five Ministers and several officials of Maharashtra government, for a few hours in the State Secretariat on Tuesday (January 27, 2026) afternoon. Thereafter, the delegation met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence ‘Varsha’.

The protestors had demanded the implementation of the Forest Rights Act, utilisation of water flowing into the sea for local communities and drought-prone areas of Maharashtra, commencement of PESA recruitment to provide employment, education, agriculture, among other things.

Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Girish Mahajan and Nashik district Collector will address the protestors on Wednesday (January 28, 2026) to give them the details about the steps the government will take to fulfil their demands.

“The talks were successful. We have been given an assurance that the government will review all the land claims under the Forest Rights Act. There will be a district-wise review of the claims in the next three months. The tribal farmers will get the benefits of all the government schemes for crops on forest land. The government has also initiated the process to draft a legislation for the transfer of temple land to the traditional tillers. We were given a draft of the legislation. The government has been positive about several other demands as well. The final decision about the protest march will be taken after discussing with the protestors,” Ashok Dhawale, president of All India Kisan Sabha and Polit Bureau member of CPI(M) told The Hindu.

The protestors had started the long march since January 25. They will now halt at Bhatsa junction in Thane district till Wednesday (January 28, 2026).

“It is our effort to find a respectable solution to their issues. Earlier, policy decisions were taken, and they were implemented. They were probably not implemented in a satisfactory manner, or it led to further problems. We will resolve them. Wherever there are tribals, farmers, the government will always be positive,” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.

In the Secretariat, a 15-member delegation of the Kisan Sabha held detailed discussion on various issues with Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan, Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse, and Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, along with the Chief Secretary and officials from various departments. The meeting went on for over two hours.

“Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave a complete assurance and gave a personal guarantee regarding the implementation of all the accepted demands. He also assured continuous follow-up at the ministerial level to ensure that there are no shortcomings in the implementation. It was agreed to re-examine the forest rights claims of all claimants under the Forest Rights Act (FRA). The discrepancy between the amount of land given to the peasant family under FRA and the land under actual possession has increased due to incorrect opinions from the Forest Department, resulting in injustice to thousands of farmers. To rectify this injustice, it was decided in the meeting to re-examine all the FRA claims in each district,” Mr. Dhawale said. In each district, a committee will be appointed for this under the chairpersonship of the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO).

The government has said that it will complete the exercise within three months. It has also constituted an implementation committee which includes the ministers, All India Kisan Sabha said. It said that the government will also conduct E-Crop surveys, which will enable government benefits for farmers. The government also assured to construct check-dams at various places in Nashik to arrest water to benefit tribals and farmers, the delegation said.

“The court has ordered that posts under PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act) be filled within the 50% limit, and it was agreed that this would be implemented immediately, and PESA recruitment would be carried out in the tribal areas,” Mr. Dhawale said.