For the first time since 1984, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is entering the race for a cooperative sugar mill election. He is one of 90 candidates competing in the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill election in Baramati, set for June 22, with the results to be counted the following day.
Pawar’s last involvement in the cooperative sugar sector was over four decades ago when he was elected to the board of the Chhatrapati Cooperative Sugar Mill.
The election will decide the 21-member board of directors for the Malegaon mill, which is currently controlled by the Nilkantheshwar Panel, a group supported by Ajit Pawar. The same panel triumphed in 2019, defeating the Sahakar Bachav Panel, led by Chandrarao Tawre. Tawre, a long-time figure in the cooperative sector, was once closely aligned with Sharad Pawar but later distanced himself.
This year’s contest has become a three-way battle with the entry of the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction. This group has formed the ‘Baliraja Sahakar Bachav’ panel in an attempt to challenge the current leadership.
The electorate includes 19,549 voters from Group A, primarily sugarcane farmers, and 102 voters from Group B, which includes representatives of cooperative institutions tied to the mill. Ajit Pawar has filed his nomination from Group B.
A senior functionary from Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction said the deputy chief minister decided to contest in order to address allegations surrounding the mill’s management, reported The Hindustan Times.
“Opposition panels have been levelling allegations of mismanagement. To counter these claims and reassure stakeholders, Pawar decided to contest himself. His involvement will signal accountability and ensure faster decision-making,” the functionary said.
