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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
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.
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.
Scroll.in
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Ladki Bahin scheme monthly payout cannot be increased to Rs 2,100: Maharashtra minister
Maharashtra's Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat on Monday said that the state government cannot increase monthly financial assistance to women under the Ladki Bahin scheme to Rs 2,100, as the ruling alliance had promised ahead of last year's Assembly election, PTI reported. However, he said that the current amount of Rs 1,500 per month will be disbursed. This was the first time that a state minister has publicly acknowledged that the government will not be able to fulfil its poll promise relating to the scheme. 'It is a reality that the monthly amount of Rs 1,500 cannot be raised to Rs 2,100,' PTI quoted Shirsat, a member of the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena group, as saying. 'But people make an issue out of it saying the scheme will be ended or the amount will be slashed. The commitment under the Ladki Bahin scheme will be fulfilled.' Shirsat said that his ministry has outstanding dues of nearly Rs 3,000 crore, The Indian Express reported. 'I had requested the chief minister [Devendra Fadnavis] about a month ago to consider the needs of my department empathetically and to ensure that the rightful funds are released as per the rules,' he was quoted as saying. 'I have communicated this in writing and spoken to [state Finance Minister Ajit Pawar] as well.' On May 3, Shirsat had accused the Pawar-led finance department of illegally diverting funds from his ministry without informing him. 'They had diverted Rs 7,000 crore from my department earlier [during the Budget] by keeping me in the dark,' he had said. 'If the government does not want the social justice department to function or they do not want to spend money, then they should shut down this department.' On Monday, Shirsat said that if funds continue to be diverted, several schemes could come to a halt, The Indian Express reported. He clarified that he was not opposed to the Ladki Bahin scheme, and said that it had helped the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance retain power in the polls. Under the Ladki Bahin scheme, women between the ages of 21 to 65, whose annual family income is under Rs 2.5 lakh, receive Rs 1,500 per month in the form of direct bank transfers. The cash transfer scheme is said to have played a crucial role in the Mahayuti alliance winning 230 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly in November. The coalition comprises the BJP, the Shinde Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Ajit Pawar.
India Today
29-04-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Ajit Pawar-led panel to oversee MLA development funds amid Mahayuti rift rumours
To address growing concerns over fund allocations and restore transparency, the Maharashtra government has established a six-member sub-committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar to oversee the development funds allocated to MLAs under the 'MLA local development programme'. This strategic move came amid reports of simmering tensions within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, particularly between the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and Pawar-led sub-committee's primary objective is to review and approve developmental works across all constituencies, aiming to make the programme more efficient and accountable. It will focus on studying ways to enhance the scheme, expand the scope of projects and improve implementation formation of the sub-committee is seen as an attempt to streamline fund distribution, which has been a contentious issue within the Mahayuti government. The sub-committee comprises the following members:Chairman: Deputy Chief Minister/Minister (Finance and Planning) - Ajit PawarMembers:Minister (Industries)Minister (Revenue)Minister (Rural Development and Water Supply)Minister (School Education Department)Minister (Sports and Youth Welfare)The programme empowers MLAs to recommend projects - like repairing roads, installing streetlights and upgrading public spaces like parks - to the Deputy Commissioner for approval, with an emphasis on creating durable the decision to place Pawar at the helm of the sub-committee follows a recent directive by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to maintain a power balance within the alliance. Fadnavis ordered that all files from the Finance and Planning Department, currently under Pawar's control, must first pass through Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde before reaching him for final move was a response to the Shiv Sena's dissatisfaction over fund allocations and the appointment of Guardian Ministers in key districts like Raigad and underlying friction traces back to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government tenure when Shinde's Shiv Sena accused Pawar of favoritism in fund distribution. They alleged that funds were prioritised for the NCP, followed by the Congress, with Shiv Sena receiving the least attention. This discord played a significant role in the collapse of the MVA Shinde's rebellion in the Sena in 2022, he became the Chief Minister with Fadnavis as Deputy Chief Minister. Pawar, who split the NCP in 2023, later joined as Deputy Chief Minister under Shinde and retained control of the Finance establishment of the sub-committee is expected to bring some clarity to the allocation process and potentially reduce tensions within the Mahayuti alliance. However, it is unlikely to quell the unease within the Shiv Sena, which may view Pawar's leadership of the sub-committee as a continuation of the same power dynamics they have long contested. IN THIS STORY#Maharashtra#Ajit Pawar#Nationalist Congress Party#Shiv Sena#Devendra Fadnavis
