Sunil Kumar Singh, the Chairman of Biscomaun and Dileepbhai Sanghani, the Chairman of Nafscob have been elected vice-chairmen of Nafed Tuesday in a keenly contested election.
While Sunil Singh bagged the highest number of votes (17), Sanghani polled 14 votes. The runner up Ashok Thakur was a poor third with just 2 votes.
A euphoric Sunil thanked Dr Chandra Pal Singh Yadav and Bijender Singh profusely. ”Left to myself I would not have got a proposer or a seconder and see here; I have bagged the highest number of votes all due to my brothers- Chandra Pal Bhayya and Bijendra bhai,” Sunil said in emotionally charged words. Even Ashok Thakur has cast vote in my favour, Sunil said underlining his acceptability across the board.
“We tried to arrive at a consensus but we failed and later the polling was held leading to the victory of Sunil and Mr Sanghani”, said NCUI President who is said to have played a crucial role in choosing the two.
The 20 member board was sharply divided along factional lines with the duo of Chandra Pal- Bijender on one side and the BJP cooperators on the other. While Sunil was a clear-cut choice, Sanghani though a BJP man had the tacit support of Bijender and Chandra Pal.
Indian Cooperative has learnt that Mohanbhai Kundariya had thrown his weight behind Sanghani who was being opposed at the ground level by the BJP Directors in the Nafed. Chandra Pal who supported Sanghani’s candidature did so also because Sanghani is said to enjoy good rapport with the Prime Minister-an attribute so crucial for the revival of Nafed.
Ashok Thakur blamed Dilip Bhai Sanghani for spoiling his show.” Many of our voters did not wish to offend either me or Sanghani and thus did not cast vote at all. He also accused Sanghani of violating the party discipline by deciding to jump in the fray. Sources said he was a clear-cut choice from the party and not Sanghani.
Sanghani was a co-opted member and as such has no right to be even in the voter list. But they released the voter list at the last moment and our genuine objection was brushed aside by the Returning Officer V P Singh, charged Thakur.
Chandra Pal however refused to admit that the elections were held under any pressure from the govt. “We do talk
Dileep Bhai Sanghani also told Indian Cooperative that cooperative elections are not fought on the basis of political affiliations. “Even if Kundariyaji put a word for me it was more because he is an old friend than anything else”, he said. “Even Ashok Thakur is my friend, there is no doubt” , he added in the same breath.
Explaining how cooperative politics is different from electoral politics Sanghani said “I became Chairman of Nafscob where BJP does not have majority members. Similarly today Modi govt is coming up with a revival package for Nafed even though it had been a congress bastion.”
“I know since the time I was in Modiji’s cabinet in Gujarat that the man has a burning desire to improve the lot of farmers. Reviving NAFED is therefore a natural act for him”, Dileepbhai underlined.
Meanwhile, a euphoric Sunil phoned Indian Cooperative to impress that he has covered a distance from Patna to Delhi so smoothly. Being the vice-chairman of a national cooperative body like NAFED is no joke, he told this reporter even as his supporters are planning a big welcome for him when he returns home.