New leadership at GCMMF: Ashok Chaudhary takes charge as chairman, Gordhan Dhameliya as vice chairman
Chaudhary (55), a leading name in the cooperative sector of north Gujarat, is a native of Chitrodipura village in Mehsana district's Visnagar taluka and tall leader of the BJP's Mehsana unit. He has also served as general secretary of Mehsana BJP in the past. Chaudhary has also held the post of Mehsana Municipality president between 2005 and 2007. He became a director of Dudhsagar Dairy in 2015.
In 2021, he became Dudhsagar Dairy chairman defeating a panel backed by former Gujarat Home Minister and former chairman of GCMMF and Dudhsagar Dairy Vipul Chaudhary. Since 2021, Ashok Chaudhary holds the post of Chairman of Dudhsagar Dairy.
A mechanical engineer by education, Ashok Chaudhary is considered close to Union Minister Amit Shah and Gujarat minister Rushikesh Patel, who is also from Visnagar of Mehsana.
Dhameliya (67), hails from Saurashtra and is the chairman of Rajkot District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Limited since 2020. An Arts graduate, Dhameliya is a Patidar from Rajkot district's Virpur. He started his political career in the 1980s. He was elected to Virpur Gram Panchayat in 1985. He was also elected as member of Rajkot taluka and district panchayats. He also unsuccessfully contested the assembly elections from Jetpur constituency in 2002 and 2007.
Chaudhary and Dhameliya were elected unanimously, in line with the tradition of GCMMF to elect its leadership by consensus. A release from GCMMF said, 'The election meeting, held on July 22, 2025, witnessed full participation from all 18 member unions of GCMMF. Ashokbhai Chaudhary's name was proposed by Shamalbhai B Patel (Chairman, Sabarkantha Milk Union) and seconded by Shri Ashwinbhai Salawiya (Chairman, Amreli Milk Union). For the post of Vice Chairman, Gordhan Dhameliya was proposed by Valamji Humbal (Chairman, Kutch Milk Union) and supported by Mohan Bharwad (Chairman, Ahmedabad Milk Union).'
'The election process was conducted in the presence of the District Collector of Anand and the Registrar of Cooperatives, Government of Gujarat reflecting the Federation's unwavering commitment to democratic values. Since its inception in 1973, GCMMF has proudly maintained the tradition of unanimous elections for its leadership,' the release said.
After their election, Chaudhary and Dhameliya expressed their gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his 'visionary leadership in positioning Amul as a global dairy brand' and to Union Minister Amit Shah. Chaudhary said, 'I would like to extend my gratitude PM Modi, Amit Shah ji to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat State BJP President CR Paatil, Jagdish Vishwakarma (Minister of Cooperation, Government of Gujarat), and the entire Board of GCMMF for electing me unopposed. This is a federation for 36 lakh dairy farmers of Gujarat, whose dedication and trust continue to form the foundation of GCMMF's success. I am glad to say that after seven decades of Independence, the Ministry of Cooperation has been set up and Amul is a model for cooperatives for the entire country from Gujarat… I pay my tribute to Tribhuvandas Patel, who founded Amul and I will work tirelessly to take this journey forward. It is a very organised federation and so it is our responsibility to ensure that the milk producers and consumers get the best benefit from this model.' As per GCMMF, in the financial year 2024–25, the federation recorded a turnover of ₹65,911 crore (USD 7.7 billion), reflecting a robust year-on-year growth of 11.2%. 'During the same period, the Federation procured over 12 billion liters of milk and achieved a brand turnover of ₹90,000 crore (USD 11 billion) through its member unions. With more than 24 billion product packs distributed across India and over 50 countries, Amul has been recognised as the world's strongest food and dairy brand by Brand Finance UK,' the release said.
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