Farmer panel ends BJP’s 20-year control of Gujarat’s largest co-op sugar factory
The BJP’s 20-year grip on Gujarat’s largest co-operative sugar factory, Bardoli, came to an end as a farmers’ panel emerged victorious in the management committee elections. The Shree Khedut Sahakari Khand Udyog Mandli Ltd, a factory dating back to 1955 and one of Asia’s largest co-operative sugar operations, is situated in Surat district.
The elections, held on August 16, saw the Kisan Parivartan Panel, formed by sugarcane farmers, triumph in 14 out of 15 contested seats, while the BJP-backed Sahakar Panel secured just one seat. The lone unopposed seat went to Anil Patel from the Sahakar Panel. The farmers’ panel victory was attributed to voters’ disapproval of politics infiltrating the cooperative sector.
Mukesh Patel, a winner from the Kisan Parivartan panel, expressed their intention to fulfill farmers’ demands. Among notable defeats, Bardoli MLA and Sahakar Panel candidate Ishvar Parmar lost to Kisan Parivartan Panel candidate Tarunkumar Vaghela. Other victories included former Surat district panchayat president Bhavesh Patel and his wife Atul, both of the Kisan Parivartan Panel, over BJP-backed Sahakar Panel candidates.
The 19-member board includes four de facto appointees and the remaining seats are elected every five years.
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