Ajit Pawar elected as chairman of Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill

Pune: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was on Saturday elected as the chairman of the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill in Baramati in Pune district.

The Nilkantheshwar panel, backed by the NCP chief, recently swept the polls in the sugar mill, winning 20 of 21 seats.

“Today, Ajit Dada was elected as the chairman of the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill. The decision was taken in a meeting of the newly elected directors,” said an NCP leader in Baramati.

Meanwhile, Chandrarao Taware, the sole director from the Sahakar Bachav panel, who won from his seat, took objection to Pawar’s election as the chairman.

“I had taken objection well before his election as the chairman. Ajit Pawar won in the group B category, which consists of non-sugarcane cultivator members. One can contest the polls, become a director from that category, but cannot become the chairman. There is a ruling by the Aurangabad bench of the High Court in this regard,” he said.

The polls in the sugar mill became a focal point in Baramati as Ajit Pawar extensively campaigned during the polls and held multiple rallies in six villages around the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill.

The election had turned into a prestige battle between NCP chief Ajit Pawar and his estranged uncle, NCP (SP) head Sharad Pawar. The Baliraja Sahakar panel, backed by the NCP (SP), was in the third position, failing to win a single seat.