The Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill elections in Baramati have turned into a high-stakes family face-off, with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar backing a new panel against his nephew, Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
Ajit, contesting after four decades, represents the ruling Nilkantheshwar panel, while Sharad’s faction has floated the ‘Baliraja Sahakar Bachav’ panel, fielding 20 candidates.
Elections to the 21-member board are scheduled for June 22, with results on June 24.
Sharad Pawar, addressing voters, stated that his party was forced into the contest due to exclusion by the ruling panel.Though downplaying the rift as election-specific, Pawar stressed that cooperatives must stay above politics.
The contest now sees three main panels vying for the influential cooperative institution.