Explained: What’s fanning onion price hike & why govt steps aren’t cooling it down

With elections in Maharashtra and Haryana only a month away, the government has to walk the tightrope of not upsetting onion growers, who are part of the voter base in rural areas, and urban consumers who have to shell out more money for the bulb.

Onion has been making news, first for its shooting prices in wholesale markets and then for the many efforts by the central government to control the increasing price. A host of efforts, including the controversial tender to import onions from Pakistan, has not quite had the desired effect. With elections in Maharashtra and Haryana only a month away, the government has to walk the tightrope of not upsetting onion growers, who are part of the voter base in rural areas, and urban consumers who have to shell out more money for the bulb.