Why is election for a cooperative sugar mill in Baramati capturing Maharashtra's attention?
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is not only fielding his own panel in the June 22 election for the Malegaon cooperative sugar mill in Baramati but is also running as a candidate for the chairman position to maintain his control. Unlike the 2020 election for the mill, this time, he faces significant opposition. Ajit Pawar is competing against his arch-rival Chandrarao Taware and Ranjan Kaka Taware from the BJP, as well as his estranged uncle, Sharad Pawar. This election for a cooperative sugar mill has become one of the most intense electoral highlights of 2025.
Who all are contesting the election?
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has fielded his Nilkantheshwar panel in this election. It is challenged by the Sharad Pawar-supported Baliraja Sahkar Bachao panel, led by his grandnephew Yugendra Pawar, the Sahakar Bachao Shetkari panel by Chandrarao Taware, and another panel of independents. The election will take place on June 22, while the results will be announced on June 24. A total of 21 members will be elected who will run the mill for the next five years.
Who can vote in cooperative sugar mill election?
The membership is cooperative sugar mills is given to sugarcane farmers who are also shareholders in the cooperative. These members can vote in the election. The Malegaon mill's functional area is of around 37 villages in Baramati tehsil and has around 20,000 members. Sharad Pawar is also a member and will be voting.
Why has cooperative sugar mill election become so intense?
Fourty-one years after Ajit Pawar first became the chairman of Chhatrapati Cooperative sugar mill in Indapur, he has once again declared himself as the candidate for this post in the election of the Malegaon cooperative sugar mill in Baramati. In 1984, Ajit Pawar was a young politician.
Now, he serves as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and is also the president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) following a split within the party. Instead of seeking a compromise with his rivals, including his estranged uncle Sharad Pawar and his main opponent Chandrarao Taware, he has chosen to run with his panel.
What is the history between Pawars and Tawares?
The Pawars and Tawares share a long history of political opposition. While Sharad Pawar ascended the political ladder, Taware maintained his control over the local cooperative sector. He unsuccessfully contested as an Independent against Ajit Pawar in 1999. Despite the Pawar family's repeated wins in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, it never managed to secure a conclusive victory over Tawares in cooperative sugar mill elections, as the latter remained a strong force, defeating Pawar-led panels several times over the last three decades.
In 2019, Chandrarao and Ranjan Taware joined the BJP. However, after the split in the NCP following Ajit's rebellion, Sharad Pawar visited Chandrarao in 2024 to bury the past ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
What is the political significance of this election?
The state BJP leadership has not instructed the Tawares to withdraw from the election against Ajit Pawar, despite being allies at both the state and national levels. The Tawares intend to leverage this situation to gain power from him. Furthermore, Sharad Pawar's panel is headed by his grandnephew Yugendra, which suggests that despite his previous Assembly poll loss, the NCP (SP) alliance will still position him as a significant opponent to Ajit Pawar.
A lot is at stake for Ajit Pawar, who has turned this into a battle for prestige. He declared himself the candidate for the chairman position, fearing that a split in votes between him and the panel led by Sharad Pawar would benefit Taware. He has been campaigning aggressively and has even criticised Taware's age. Reports about the merging of two NCP factions were overshadowed by the ongoing election, especially after Sharad Pawar expressed his dissatisfaction with Ajit's refusal to share positions of power, without explicitly naming him.
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