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Indian Express
28-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
How Sharad Pawar lost the plot in cooperatives where he called the shots
What was supposed to be a run-of-the-mill election to the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill in Maharashtra's Baramati district has now become a talking point in state politics. With NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's panel bagging 20 seats in the 21-member board of the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill in its elections, the development is being seen as a further erosion of his estranged uncle and NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar's grip on the cooperative sector in the state. For Ajit now appears to be dominating what was once Pawar's bastion. The Sharad Pawar-backed panel was routed in the Malegaon sugar mill polls. Pawar has always been connected to cooperatives – in areas ranging from sugar mills to banks – in the course of his decades-long political career. The Maratha stalwart inherited the legacy of political heavyweights like Vasantdada Patil and Yashwantrao Chavan, who had in the early period of Maharashtra nurtured the fledgling cooperatives sector. Pawar is credited to have strengthened the cooperatives sector, especially in ensuring its financial viability and building it up as a political powerhouse in the state. When Pawar decided to leave the Congress in 1999 to set up the NCP, a majority of the cooperative sugar mill barons in the state had backed him. A Maharashtra cooperative bank's former managing director said that Pawar has long understood the 'link between political power and the cooperatives sector'. 'Successful cooperative leaders were most likely to be successful politicians, especially in the sugar belt of Western Maharashtra. But for leaders to be successful, the cooperatives should have easy access to funds. Money is necessary to both keep the electorate happy and to ensure institutions are running well. And in the case of losses, help from the government in the form of easy loans, guarantees or favourable policies come in handy,' he said. The cooperatives have, however, been both power centres as well as weak points for Pawar. For instance, sugar mills on an average have voter bases ranging from 20,000 to 30,000, and a successful chairman or director would be able to command a sizeable share of them in the local, state or national elections. In the 2000s, the NCP was known as a Western Maharashtra party, given that most of its members and leaders were drawn from the cooperatives that lined this region. Ajit himself had started his career in the cooperatives sector, and it was here that he honed his skills as a politician and built his own support base that stood by him when he rebelled against Pawar in 2023. Ajit made his electoral debut in the cooperatives, winning his first poll to become the director of the Baramati Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee in the early 1980s. While Pawar became busy with politics at the state and national levels, local and cooperative politics were left to his nephew. From running the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill to his directorship of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank, it was Ajit who ruled the roost. Though cooperatives gave rise to a ready crop of leaders, they often sought proximity to power regardless of ideological affiliations. 'There is a simple reason for this – being near power allows for easy access to funds, which somehow always seemed too short for cooperatives,' said a managing director of a cooperative sugar mill, adding that aligning with the parties in power always helped in the state. Consequently, when power at the state level changed hands, the chances of cooperative leaders jumping ship would rise. 'If one analyses the leadership of the undivided NCP, it was almost a collection of leaders who had come together for power. The grassroots-level penetration of ideology or the support base depended mostly on the leaders. Barring a few, every one else was amenable to jumping ship,' the managing director added. When Ajit decided to split the NCP in 2023 and join the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, a large section of the undivided party's MLAs and leaders also joined him. Ajit, among other cooperative leaders, was facing multiple cases of alleged financial irregularities involving cooperatives, including probes by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). After Ajit's revolt, only a handful of senior cooperative leaders – including former state ministers Jayant Patil and Balasaheb Patil – stood by Pawar's faction. The Malegaon sugar mill's election appears to have further dented Pawar's hold over the cooperatives sector in the state. 'The reason for the leaders' mass migration (from the Pawar camp to the Ajit faction) is simple – they wanted to be on the right side of power. If anything, the Malegaon results have cemented Ajit dada's base in the cooperative sector,' an NCP leader said.
Indian Express
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Ajit Pawar wins directorship of Malegaon sugar mill, counting off to a slow start
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar won an easy victory from the seat he was contesting from for the post of directorship of the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill in Baramati. Till 10 pm on Tuesday, besides Ajit Pawar's seat, leads of 12 others of the 21 seats were available with Ajit Pawar's Neelkantheshwar panel leading in 11. A cooperative election veteran and Ajit Pawar's arch rival Chandanrao Taware's Shetkari Sahakar Bachav panel was leading in the other seat. The election for the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill has been the talk of the town — and the state — as Ajit Pawar took on his uncle Sharad Pawar and cousin Supriya Sule. Taware, who has long fought what he calls the 'hegemony of the Pawars' in Baramati, had fielded his panel comprising local farmers. While both the Pawars were on opposite ends of the electoral battle, the Tawares are BJP supporters, which did not deter Ajit Pawar to stand against the Tawares or to declare that he would be the chairman of the mill if he gets elected. Counting for the 21 seats started on Tuesday morning but due to extensive cross-voting between panels, it was off to a slow start. By 10 pm, leads in 13 seats were available. Ajit Pawar won his seat with a thumping majority, which was a foregone conclusion. In the other 12 seats, which included seats reserved for women, OBC and other categories, Ajit Pawar's panel was leading in 11 though by a slender margin. Taware's panel was lead in the other seat. Voting for cooperative bodies are carried out using ballot papers, which are then counted manually. Trends showed over 19,000 voters have voted across panels, which slowed down the counting process. The Sharad Pawar-supported panel, it seems, has not been able to make an impact with the voters with the fight mainly between the Ajit Pawar-led panel and the one led by the Tawares. Going by the trends, Ajit Pawar is expected to win majority of the seats.
Deccan Herald
24-06-2025
- Business
- Deccan Herald
Sugar cooperative society polls: Ajit Pawar tightens grip on Baramati
Considered one of the most financially sound cooperatives in the state, Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill has among the highest procurement rates for sugarcane— Rs 3,636 per tonne last year.
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Ajit Pawar wins seat in Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill poll in Baramati
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday won his seat in the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill poll, touted as a battle of prestige to wrest power over the sugar body in Baramati , the pocket borough of Pawars. The election, held on Sunday, included 19,549 voters in group 'A' comprising sugarcane cultivators from the region, while 102 voters were in group 'B', which consists of members from various cooperative bodies affiliated to the sugar mill, as per a poll official. While counting was still underway for election to the 21-member board of the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill, Ajit Pawar emerged as the winner in 'B' category, where he polled 91 out of 101 votes against the rival candidate who received only 10 votes, said NCP leader Kiran Gujar, who has been overseeing polls for the Ajit Pawar led Nilkantheshwar Panel. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo One vote was not polled in the 'B' category. Ajit Pawar was among the 90 candidates contesting the poll under the banner of different panels and not on party tickets, for the 21-member board of directors of the sugar mill located in Baramati. Live Events The Nilkantheshwar panel headed by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar, who is contesting a cooperative sugar mill election after more than four decades, currently holds power in the mill. Besides the Nilkantheshwar panel and the Chandrarao Tawre-led Sahakar Bachav panel, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) has entered the fray after floating the 'Baliraja Sahakar' panel, making the contest triangular. Ajit Pawar's uncle Sharad Pawar is not directly in the fray. According to party functionaries, Ajit Pawar last contested sugar mill polls in 1984 and served on the board of directors of the Chhatrapati Cooperative Sugar Mill in Baramati region.
Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ajit Pawar back in sugar mill poll fray after four decades, faces triangular contest in Baramati
For the first time since 1984, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has entered the race for a cooperative sugar mill election. Pawar is among the 90 contestants in the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill polls in Baramati, set to take place on June 22, with the counting scheduled on the next day. Pawar's last electoral involvement in the cooperative sugar sector was over four decades ago when he was elected to the board of the Chhatrapati Cooperative Sugar Mill. His renewed participation marks a significant political moment for the region, where sugar cooperatives continue to play a crucial role in local politics and economics. The election is for the 21-member board of directors at the Malegaon mill, which is currently controlled by the Nilkantheshwar Panel, backed by Ajit Pawar. The same panel secured victory in 2019 by defeating the Sahakar Bachav Panel led by Chandrarao Tawre. Tawre, a seasoned cooperative sector figure, was once close to Sharad Pawar but later parted ways. This time, the contest has become triangular with the entry of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), which has floated the 'Baliraja Sahakar Bachav' panel to challenge the existing power structure at the mill. Election officer Yashwant Mane informed that out of 593 nomination forms filed, 503 were deemed valid after scrutiny. Following the withdrawal of 412 nominations, a total of 90 candidates remain in the fray. The electorate comprises 19,549 voters from Group A — mainly sugarcane cultivators — and 102 voters from Group B, which includes representatives of cooperative institutions associated with the mill. Ajit Pawar has filed his nomination from Group B. According to a senior functionary of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, the deputy chief minister entered the race to counter claims of irregularities in the sugar mill's functioning. 'Opposition panels have been levelling allegations of mismanagement. To counter these claims and reassure stakeholders, Pawar decided to contest himself. His involvement will signal accountability and ensure faster decision-making,' the functionary said. He added that the Pawar-led faction had attempted to arrive at a consensus and avoid a contest but their overtures were rejected by rivals. The upcoming election is particularly significant as it pits the two rival NCP factions against each other for the first time in the cooperative sector, following the party's split. Yugendra Pawar, Ajit Pawar's nephew and a member of the rival NCP (SP), said their panel was formed to address farmers' grievances. 'Mill management has failed to provide a fair price to sugarcane growers. Worker recruitment is not based on merit. Our panel consists of ordinary cultivators, unlike other panels dominated by politically connected individuals,' said Yugendra. He also alleged that some current board members are not even farmers but contractors, and vowed to restore transparency and fairness if his panel is elected.
