Kolhapur. The ruling Mahayuti alliance has won the chairman’s post at one of Maharashtra’s leading cooperative institutions, the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, known as Gokul Dairy. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former MLA Rajesh Patil was elected the new chairman on Tuesday, November 10. He defeated Shashikant Patil Chuyekar, the candidate of the like-minded alliance led by Congress leader Satej Patil, by 16 votes to 13.
Votes of four government directors proved decisive. In the election for Gokul’s 25 elected directors, the alliance led by Satej Patil had won 13 seats, while Mahayuti secured 12. Despite this, Mahayuti won the chairman’s election. The electoral arithmetic changed after four directors appointed by the state government were given voting rights. Along with Mahayuti’s 12 elected directors, these four members voted in favour of Rajesh Patil, giving him a total of 16 votes.
Legal dispute over the election. The opposition had objected to the government’s decision. The matter reached the Bombay High Court after the ordinance granting voting rights to the appointed directors was challenged. The court refused to stay the election and allowed the four government-nominated directors to vote, but directed that their ballot papers be kept separately. The next hearing on the validity of the ordinance is scheduled for November 25.
Term to be for one year. According to an agreement among Mahayuti constituents, Rajesh Patil will hold the chairman’s post for the first one year. The alliance partners will decide on the remaining tenure through mutual discussion. Rajesh Patil said his aim is to work in the interest of Gokul Dairy and the lakhs of milk producers associated with it. The opposition, meanwhile, raised questions over the election process, calling it contrary to the democratic mandate.
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