Sugar cooperative society polls: Ajit Pawar tightens grip on Baramati

Mumbai: In a significant development in Maharashtra politics, deputy chief minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar returned to the active cooperative sector affairs after he won an election to the 21-member board of the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill in Baramati in Pune district on Tuesday.

With this he also widened control in Baramati, where his main political opponent is his uncle and NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar and cousin and NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule.

Ajit Pawar had contested sugar cooperative polls for the last time in 1984, when he was elected to the board of directors of the Chhatrapati Cooperative Sugar Mill.

As the counting of Malegaon Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd (Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill) is still underway it is early to know whether he can secure the chairmanship.

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.

Of the total 19,651 voters, 19,549 belong to Group A—sugarcane cultivators from the region—and 102 are from Group B, representing members of various cooperatives.

Ajit Pawar has filed his nomination from Group B - and secured 91 of the 101 votes cast - in the high-stakes election on Sunday.

The elections was a four-cornered contest - the Nilkantheshwar panel led by Ajit Pawar, the Baliraja Sahakar Bachao panel led by Yugendra Pawar, behind whom Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule had thrown their weight, the Sahakar Bachav Panel, led by BJP’s Ranjan Taware and another panel comprising independents. The Taware family are arch political rivals of the Pawar family.

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.

At the time of going to Press, the Nilkantheshwar panel was leading the tally.

Taware, a former chairman, said: “It needs to be known why Ajit Pawar had to contest the sugar factory polls…what is the need…if we wanted to transform the cooperative why he has not contested the Chhatrapati Cooperative Sugar Mill…why such a time has come.”

Ajit Pawar is expected to comment only after the full results are out.