Maharashtra BJP MLC and Chairman of the Mumbai District Central Cooperative Bank, Pravin Darekar, has been elected unopposed to the Governing Council of the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) after the nomination of his lone rival, Saurabh Sharma, Administrator of the Chhattisgarh Rajya Sahakari Sangh, was rejected during scrutiny.
Darekar contested from the constituency representing State & Union Territories Cooperative Unions, covering Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. As Chairman of the Maharashtra Rajya Sahakari Sangh, he will represent the state on NCUI’s apex governing body.
A prominent figure in Maharashtra’s cooperative movement, Darekar currently serves as BJP Group Leader in the Maharashtra Legislative Council and chairs the Mumbai District Central Cooperative Bank. He is also associated with several cooperative institutions, including the Raigad Cooperative Bank and the Maharashtra State Urban Cooperative Banks Federation.
Darekar began his political journey with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), where he served as General Secretary and played a key role in building the party alongside Raj Thackeray.
He was elected MLA from Magathane in 2009 before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014. Widely regarded as a close associate of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Darekar has emerged as one of the influential leaders connecting politics with the cooperative sector.
