More than five decades of patient grassroots work, organizational discipline and ideological commitment have culminated in Sahakar Bharati capturing the highest citadel of cooperative power with its sweeping victory in the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) Governing Council elections.
For Sahakar Bharati’s founding member Satish Marathe, the outcome marks the fruition of a journey that began in 1978 when he, along with RSS veteran Laxman Rao “Vakil Saheb” Inamdar, laid the foundation of Sahakar Bharati as the cooperative wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Having travelled extensively across the country for decades to spread the organization’s message, Marathe described the NCUI verdict as the reward for years of silent and determined organizational efforts. It’s the beginning, not the end, he says.
In a social media post after the results were known, Marathe wrote: “Years of silent, determined and organised efforts of Team Sahakar Bharati, to mobilise cooperators to reinvent the spirit of cooperatives, has now started yielding results.”
Starting as a modest voluntary organization with little influence, Sahakar Bharati gradually built its presence on the strength of dedicated workers and its guiding philosophy, “Nahi Sahakar Bina Sanskar” (There can be no true cooperation without character). The organization consistently maintained that cooperatives should not merely expand but also remain free from vested interests through ethical leadership and good governance.
Its long years of work finally bore fruit in the elections to the Governing Council of NCUI, the apex organization of the Indian cooperative movement, where delegates representing virtually every cooperative sector and every region of the country participated in the electoral process.
The joint alliance of Sahakar Bharati and the BJP Cooperative Cell secured a landslide victory, winning 19 of the 21 seats in the five-year elections. Polling was held on July 18, while the unofficial results based on vote counting on July 19 reflected the alliance’s overwhelming dominance. The formal declaration is awaited from the Central Cooperative Election Authority.
Among the prominent winners are D.N. Thakur, Dileep Sanghani, Meenesh Shah, Bipin Patel, Mohanbhai Kundaria, Vishal Singh, Vinay Kumar Shahi, Pravin Darekar, G.T. Devegowda, Jeena Potsangbam, Ghanshyam Amin, Dhananjay Singh, H.K. Patil, Mudit Verma, Annasaheb Jolle and Nakul Kadu.
Ten candidates were elected unopposed, while Sahakar Bharati National General Secretary Deepak Chaurasia has been nominated as the Central Government’s representative on the Governing Council.
One of the closest contests saw Sahakar Bharati National Vice-President Advocate Sunil Gupta and H.K. Patil tied with four votes each, with Patil eventually emerging victorious through a draw of lots. BJP MLC Sanjay Bhende was defeated.
Senior leaders of the cooperative movement have described the result as a landmark moment that reflects the growing acceptance of Sahakar Bharati’s philosophy of cooperative governance based on transparency, accountability and character.
The election campaign was guided by Sahakar Bharati National President Dr. Uday Joshi, D.N. Thakur, Deepak Chaurasia, Sanjay Pachpor, BJP National General Secretary (Organisation), B.L. Santhosh and NDDB Vice Chairman Kuldeep Chahel.
They expressed confidence that the newly elected Governing Council would further strengthen NCUI and provide fresh momentum to India’s cooperative movement.
