Daijiworld Media Network - Pune
Pune, Jun 26: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar cast his vote on Sunday in a fiercely contested election to the board of the Malegaon Sugar Cooperative, setting the stage for yet another political showdown within the Pawar family in their stronghold of Baramati.
The poll has drawn 90 candidates vying for 21 board seats, with Ajit Pawar himself contesting for the chairman’s post — nearly four decades after he last sought the position. His panel of candidates is running under the ‘Nilkantheshwar’ banner.
On the opposing side, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) chief Sharad Pawar has thrown his weight behind the ‘Baliraja Sahakar Bachao’ panel, led by his grandnephew Yugendra Pawar. Baramati MP and Sharad Pawar’s daughter, Supriya Sule, also participated in the voting process. A third panel, ‘Sahakar Bachao Shetkari,’ led by Ranjan Taware, a vocal critic of the Pawar family’s influence in the region, is also in the fray.
Ajit Pawar, defending his decision to contest despite holding a ministerial post, said, “I have every right to decide whether or not I want to contest elections. There is no office-of-profit issue in this matter.” His comments came amid objections over the propriety of a sitting deputy chief minister running for cooperative office.
The Malegaon cooperative is one of the most financially stable sugar units in Maharashtra, and this election has attracted over 19,000 voters from 37 villages around Baramati. Voters were divided into two groups — Group A comprising local cane cultivators and Group B representing cooperative officials.
The lead-up to the election wasn’t without controversy. On Wednesday night, tensions flared after supporters of the Sharad Pawar and Taware-backed panels alleged that a local bank branch remained open until 11:30 PM, hinting at possible horse-trading. Supriya Sule called for an SIT investigation into the matter.
Ajit Pawar, who is also the guardian minister for Pune district, dismissed the allegations. “I have no role in that incident. None of my panel members were at the bank. It’s the opposition that’s using their cooperative bank for campaigning,” he claimed.
Counting of votes is scheduled for Tuesday, and the outcome could signal a deeper shift in Baramati’s political landscape, where family ties and power politics are increasingly clashing.