NCP's Rajesh Patil elected Chairman of Gokul Dairy

In a controversial election for the post of Chairman of Gokul Dairy in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, NCP leader and former MLA Rajesh Patil, supported by the Mahayuti alliance, has emerged victorious. Out of a total of 29 voters, Rajesh Patil secured 16 votes to win the election. BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Dhananjay Mahadik shared the results. His opponent, Shashikant Chuekare, the candidate of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (Congress-Satej Patil panel), secured 13 votes.

With an annual turnover exceeding ₹4,000 crore, the election for the chairmanship had become a prestige battle between the ruling alliance and the opposition. The election had been a subject of prolonged political controversy in Maharashtra. The opposition accused the BJP-led Maharashtra government of undermining cooperative democracy by granting voting rights to four additional nominated directors. Last month, the panel supported by Congress MLC Satej Patil had won the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union election by 13-12, after which the government granted voting rights to four nominated directors.

On Monday, the Bombay High Court refused to stay the government's order granting voting rights to the four nominated directors. However, the Aurangabad bench stated that while the four nominated directors could participate in the election, their votes should be kept in separate ballot boxes. Following this decision, opposition leaders and dairy farmers held a large protest in Kolhapur, accusing the government of a 'direct attack on cooperative democracy.'

After his victory, Rajesh Patil stated that during his one-year tenure, he would work together with 25 elected directors, four government-nominated directors, and two co-opted directors. He spoke of protecting the interests of milk producers, the cooperative institution, and the employees. Patil added that his focus would be on recovering the losses incurred by the cooperative institution over the past year. He appealed to the opposition to set aside political differences and work together. Furthermore, he announced that the annual general meeting of the cooperative institution will be held next month.

Dhananjay Mahadik stated that the decision to make the NCP leader Chairman for the first year was taken unanimously, and a decision regarding next year's arrangement will be made after discussions. He explained that a deadlock had occurred because 12 directors remained away from their seats, leading to a lack of the required quorum and the possibility of an administrator being appointed to the institution. This problem was resolved by appointing four additional directors with the help of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and both Deputy Chief Ministers. State Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif congratulated Rajesh Patil on his victory. Rajesh Patil also defended the appointment of the four nominated directors, stating it helped resolve the quorum deadlock.

On the other hand, the defeated candidate Shashikant Chuekare claimed that he had the support of 13 out of the 25 elected directors. He alleged that Rajesh Patil won the chairmanship not democratically, but through pressure and force.

Maharashtra Minister Chandrakant Patil said that this victory would end the allegations leveled against the Mahayuti alliance and its leaders over the last 15 days. Targeting Congress leader Satej Patil, he remarked that Satej Patil, known as 'Bunty Patil', wanted to become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra but lacked the necessary maturity for the post. Satej Patil had alleged on Monday that the decision to grant voting rights to four nominated directors was a conspiracy by Chandrakant Patil and Hasan Mushrif. In response, Chandrakant Patil questioned the Congress leader's claims of democracy by referring to the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975. Chandrakant Patil claimed that nearly 20 lakh people were imprisoned during the Emergency.

The entire sequence of events has unfolded according to reports by Aaj Tak and NDTV India.