With the election to the Governing Council of the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) scheduled for July 18, 2026, the contest has entered its final phase. According to sources tracking the electoral process, candidates backed by Sahakar Bharati appear to be in a strong position across most of the 10 contested seats.
The Sahakar Bharati team, led by its President Uday Joshi and National General Secretary Deepak Chaurasia, has been camping in Delhi for the past week. Working at the grassroots level, the team is making intensive efforts to ensure the victory of each of its candidates.
One of the toughest challenges for the team is convincing Jyotindra Mehta, whose admiration for H.K. Patil is well known. However, his rival, Sunil Gupta, is the official Sahakar Bharati candidate. Mehta, popularly known as “Mama,” is caught between personal equations and organizational loyalty.
Among the seven seats representing State Cooperative Unions and Union Territories, elections are being held for only two. According to sources, Sahakar Bharati has managed its numbers effectively. After persuading Mangal Jit Rai to withdraw his candidature, the organisation has virtually ensured the election of the only woman candidate, Jeena Potsangbam of the Manipur State Cooperative Union. With most voters in this constituency aligned with Sahakar Bharati, her victory is widely seen as a foregone conclusion.
Similarly, Vinay Kumar Shahi, a close associate of Vishal Singh and Chairman of the Bihar State Cooperative Union, is considered to have a strong chance of winning. “He is going to make it,” said a senior Sahakar Bharati leader on condition of anonymity.
In the National Federations of Cooperative Societies constituency, six candidates are in the fray for five seats. The leading contenders include IFFCO Chairman Dileep Sanghani, KRIBHCO’s Bipin Patel, NAFCARD Director Dalip Singh Yadav, NCCF Chairman Vishal Singh, NDDB Chairman Meenesh Shah and NAFED Nominee Mohan Kundariya.
Sources said, earlier there was pressure on Kundariya to withdraw. However, he reportedly avoided leadership calls by switching off his phone. Subsequently, Indian Cooperative has learnt that NAFCARD nominee Dalip Singh Yadav has been asked to withdraw from the race. As a result, the remaining five candidates, Dileep Sanghani, Bipin Patel, Vishal Singh, Meenesh Shah and Mohanbhai Kundariya, are expected to secure comfortable victory.
Another closely watched contest is in the constituency representing State-level Cooperative Federations and Associations from Western and Southern India, where Maharashtra State Cooperative Labour Federation Chairman Sanjiv Kushalkar is taking on former BJP MP and veteran Karnataka cooperator Annasaheb Jolle. With a majority of votes believed to be with the Sahakar Bharati camp, Jolle is widely expected to win comfortably.
The Multi-State Cooperative Societies constituency is also expected to witness a keen contest. Six candidates are in the race, Maharashtra BJP MLC Sanjay Bhende, Nakul Kadu, C.B. Jisso, Suresh Wable, G.R. Ravinchandran and Jitendra Jain. Kadu, the Sahakar Bharati-backed candidate, is considered to have a strong chance of victory. The electoral college comprises 44 members, a significant number of whom are from Maharashtra.
While the final outcome will ultimately depend on the voting, the prevailing political and organisational momentum appears to favour candidates backed by Sahakar Bharati and the BJP, according to those closely following the election.
Though there is considerable clarity at this stage about the candidates likely to be elected to the Governing Council, there is still no certainty over who will eventually become the NCUI President and Vice-President.
Even the top leadership of Sahakar Bharati is said to be undecided on the issue. The two leading names in contention are outgoing President Dileep Sanghani and D.N. Thakur. However, seasoned observers do not rule out the possibility of a surprise candidate emerging for the top post, as leadership contests often remain unpredictable until the final stage.
