Mahayuti leaders slam Satej Patil over Gokul Dairy power deadlock reject claim of sole mandate

Mumbai, Nov 3 (PTI) Days after a panel backed by Congress MLC Satej Patil won election to the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union, better known as Gokul Dairy, leaders of Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti on Tuesday criticised him over the ongoing power deadlock in the dairy.

Even as the poll results were declared on October 19, the chairperson of the dairy is yet to be elected.

Although Patil's panel holds a one-seat majority, the dairy's bylaws dictate that a minimum quorum of 14 directors is required to legally conduct the meeting to elect the chairperson.

In a letter issued to editors and journalists, leaders of the NCP, BJP, Shiv Sena and Jansurajya Party said Patil should not interpret the narrow victory of his panel in the elections of Gokul Dairy as an endorsement of his political dominance across the district.

The Rajarshi Shahu Shetkari Samavichari Aghadi, led by the Congress leader, won 13 seats, while the Mahayuti-backed Chhatrapati Shahu Shetkari Vikas Aghadi secured 12 seats, according to results.

Polling for 25 seats on the cooperative milk union's board was held last month.

The results came as a blow to the BJP-led ruling alliance Mahayuti, whose leaders had campaigned together in an effort to secure control of the influential cooperative institution.

The Mahayuti leaders pointed out that the poll verdict did not establish the Congress leader's exclusive claim to represent the interests of 5.5 lakh milk producers.

They said they had not obstructed the opposition from electing its chairman and were fulfilling their role as opposition members.

Acknowledging that internal differences within the Mahayuti benefited Patil's panel in the elections, the Mahayuti leaders maintained that the outcome should not be construed as a shift in the district's entire political support base.

The letter said the requirement of 14 directors for a quorum in the 25-member board was stipulated in Gokul's bylaws and was not introduced after the elections. The 12 Mahayuti directors, they said, had been elected by voters to represent them and could not be expected to attend meetings merely to help the rival panel meet the quorum requirement.

The leaders also referred to the pre-election announcement of Shashikant Patil-Chuyekar as the chairman candidate by Satej Patil, saying voters had still elected 12 Mahayuti candidates.

Earlier in the day, Patil targeted the Mahayuti, claiming that attempts were being made to alter the Gokul milk cooperative's governing structure to prevent the elected panel backed by him from taking charge.

Questioning Patil's appeal for cooperation to resolve the deadlock, they asked whether he would extend similar support by providing two directors from his panel to enable the Mahayuti to meet the quorum requirement for electing its own chairman.

The alliance leaders alleged that emotional appeals were being used to seek cooperation for political convenience and insisted that the rules should apply equally to both sides.

They said the issues concerning the quorum, election of chairman and other legal questions should be resolved in accordance with the law and the cooperative's bylaws, adding that they would pursue legal remedies.

The letter also accused supporters of Satej Patil of using provocative language on social media since the deadlock emerged and warned that Mahayuti workers would respond in kind if such rhetoric continued. It called for political differences to be addressed through democratic discussion rather than threats.

Emphasising that Gokul was not the property of any political party or individual leader, the alliance leaders said the cooperative had been built through the efforts of lakhs of milk producers and that its interests, the law and democratic principles should take precedence over political prestige.

The letter was jointly signed by Babasaheb Patil-Asurlikar, Kolhapur district NCP president; Rajvardhan Nimbalkar, BJP rural district president; Vijay Balugade, Shiv Sena district president; and Samit Kadam, Jansurajya Party youth state president.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)