Another battle of Pawars unfolding in Baramati

Mumbai: After two major electoral battles involving the Pawar family in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls in Maharashtra and the subsequent talks of NCP and NCP (SP) merger or alliance, another political drama is unfolding in their bastion of Baramati in Pune district. 

The Malegaon Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd (Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill) is the new battleground. 

While voting for the cooperative sector polls was held on Sunday, the counting of votes would be taken up on Tuesday. 

The elections are crucial for both - NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar, a key leader of the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. opposition bloc, and his nephew and NCP president Ajit Pawar, who is the deputy chief minister in the BJP-led MahaYuti dispensation. 

In the Lok Sabha polls in Baramati, Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule won the elections for the fourth time defeating Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar. However, Sunetra Pawar was later sent to the Rajya Sabha with the support of the BJP.

In the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections from Baramati, Ajit Pawar won the polls for a record eighth time defeating Yugendra Pawar, the son of his brother Shrinivas Pawar.

The elections to Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill has gained importance as Ajit Pawar, a six-time deputy chief minister, is among the 90 candidates in fray for the 21-member board. It is after a gap of 40 years that he is personally contesting the cooperative sector polls. Ajit Pawar is currently the state finance and planning minister. 

Ajit Pawar is not only leading the ruling Nilkantheshwar Panel but has also announced that he would become chairman if the panel retains power.

On the other hand, Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule and Yugendra Pawar are backing the Baliraja Sahakar Bachao Panel. 

Another group, the Sahakar Bachav Panel, led by Ranjan Taware, is also contesting, making it a triangular battle of sorts. 

There are around 19,000 shareholder-voters who are part of this mammoth exercise in the state’s cooperative sector. 

Both the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance and opposition Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT)-NCP (SP) are closely observing the elections. 

Considered one of the most financially sound cooperatives in the state, Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill has among the highest procurement rates for sugarcane— Rs 3,636 per tonne last year.

“We will now allow the dream of Ajit Dada to become the Chairman to be fulfilled,” said Taware. 

“It is the voters who will decide who will bring development. I am a candidate for the Chairman’s post. I have been working here for 35 years,” Ajit Pawar said. 

A total of 593 nominations were filed for the 21 board seats. After scrutiny, 503 were deemed valid, and 90 candidates are now in the fray. 

Of the total 19,651 voters, 19,549 belong to Group A—sugarcane cultivators from the region—and 102 are from Group B, representing various cooperative bodies. Ajit Pawar has filed his nomination from Group B.

It may be mentioned that the functioning of the Pune District Central Cooperative Bank, of whose Ajit Pawar is chairman, was impacted after last week supporters of the Sahakar Bachav and Baliraja Sahakar panels alleged that a voter list was found inside the bank. Supriya Sule had demanded a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into the incident.