Setting aside internal differences, Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti alliance has decided to jointly contest the elections to Kolhapur’s influential Gokul milk union, one of the state’s largest cooperative dairy bodies.
The alliance announced the formation of the ‘Chhatrapati Shahu Shetkari Vikas Aghadi’ for the upcoming polls after a meeting attended by senior BJP and alliance leaders.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reportedly played a key role in bringing the allies together amid political tensions over seat-sharing and local rivalries.
Gokul, with a turnover of nearly Rs 3,966 crore and links to over 4.4 lakh milk producers, holds major political and economic importance in western Maharashtra.
Former Congress minister Satej Patil, who led the rival front in 2021, will contest independently. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has directed that elections to the cooperative body be completed within 90 days.
