MUMBAI: A fortnight after Mahayuti lost the elections to the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, popularly known by its brand name Gokul, the Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday approved an amendment to the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960, allowing the appointment of five government-nominated directors to the boards of cooperative institutions with an annual turnover exceeding ₹ 500 crore. The cabinet has granted voting rights in the election of the chairperson to four of the five nominees.
Significantly, the government’s decision comes after BJP leader and minister Chandrakant Patil wrote to CM Devendra Fadnavis just two days before the Gokul elections, proposing increasing the number of government-nominated directors from two to four in cooperative institutions with an annual turnover exceeding ₹ 3,000 crore. At a meeting of the newly elected Gokul directors on October 29, all 12 members elected from the Mahayuti-backed panel remained absent. Since the quorum required to conduct the meeting was 14, the election of the chairperson was postponed. Following a petition filed by the RSSSA, the Bombay high court’s Kolhapur circuit bench, on November 2, 2026, directed that notices be issued to all 25 directors and a fresh meeting be convened on November 10.
The government’s decision could face legal scrutiny, according to cooperation department officials. “Granting voting rights to government-nominated directors raises questions about the legality of the arrangement and could be challenged in court,” said an official. “Even during the hearing before the Kolhapur circuit bench two days ago, the court indicated that it would consider the implications if such a decision were taken by the government.”
Subsequently, the ruling alliance-backed panel raised objections to minor errors during the counting of votes on October 19. The Opposition-backed RSSSA has now decided to approach a higher court, citing the Gujarat high court’s 2022 ruling in the Amul Dairy case. The Gujarat high court had struck down the Gujarat government’s October 2020 decision to nominate three directors to the Amul Dairy board, a move challenged by the Congress-backed panel, which alleged that the appointments were intended to prevent it from securing the chairperson’s post.
The Opposition charged the BJP with constantly using underhand means to influence the elections. “The societies had to approach the court to secure their voting rights. This led to a reduction of two seats for the RSSSA panel. Patil’s letter appears to have been written in anticipation of the Mahayuti-backed panel’s defeat.
“First, the cooperation department attempted to disqualify milk societies supporting the RSSSA panel by questioning their eligibility to vote,” said a Congress leader. “Citing that judgment, we have decided to fight this battle in the higher courts and take it to the Supreme Court,” a Congress leader from Kolhapur said.
