Former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar managed to retain control over the important Pune District Central Cooperative Bank (PDCC), after his panel managed to win 20 out of the 21 positions in the board of directors of the bank in the elections held recently.
Ajit Pawar-led panel had recently lost the election to the board of directors of Malegaon sugar cooperative factory in Pune’s Baramati taluka, denting the traditional domination of the Pawar family in the state’s powerful sugar lobby.
However, the results of PDCC, declared saw Balasaheb Nevale defeating the official NCP candidate in Maval by a slim margin, says a report by Express News Service.
The PDCC, by virtue of its position as the apex cooperative bank in the district, has been important for political and social control, especially in the rural areas. Ajit Pawar has long held the reins of the bank.
However, the recent change of power in the state government had fueled the BJP-Shiv Sena’s hopes of winning over control of the bank from Pawar. In fact, Girish Bapat a minister had even conducted tours across the district campaigning for BJP. But their hopes were dashed.
Of the 21 directors, 13 were to be elected from the primary agricultural credit societies (PAC)s who formed the group A of voters. Seven of the seats saw NCP candidates getting elected unopposed.
In group B, C D and the five reserved seats, NCP candidates managed to win with comfortable margins. Pawar defeated his nearest rival Vilas Kakade by a margin of 166 votes.
Senior officers of the cooperative department said the victory of Pawar’s panel was almost a foregone conclusion as the electorate was made up of long-time NCP supporters.
