With the upcoming election for the Shri Dudhgana Vedganaga Cooperative Sugar Mill in Kolhapur, the politics of the sugar belt of Maharashtra has begun hotting up, reports Indian Express.
The ruling BJP has sought the NCP’s support to best the Congress-Shiv Sena combine – a move that has confounded political observers.
The outgoing board of director was headed by KP Patil, an ex-NCP MLA and majority of the directors were either from Congress or NCP. This time around, Patil’s panel is pitted against another panel formed by veteran Congress leader Dinkarrao Jadhav.
Jadhav had held the chairmanship of the mill for more than a decade and his relations with Patil was cordial once. But, now, both have become arch rivals.
The election of the cooperative sugar mill is being talked about for the strange alliances it has created. In the run-up to the election, Patil has entered into a formal alliance with the BJP and of the 21 candidates it has put up, five are from the BJP.
Kolhapur happens to be the home district of state Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil who has been trying to increase the party’s footprint and presence in the sugar belt.