Gokul Chairman Election: Mahayuti’s Rajesh Patil Wins 16-13 as State Nominees Vote; Setback for Satej Patil

Kolhapur, 11th November 2026: Former Chandgad MLA Rajesh Patil was elected chairman of Gokul, the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, on Tuesday, 10 November. He won by 16 votes to 13 against Shashikant Patil Chuyekar of the Satej Patil-led alliance, eSakal and Pudhari reported.

The result gives the ruling Mahayuti control of one of Maharashtra’s largest milk unions, even though its panel won fewer seats in last month’s board election.

How Mahayuti won with fewer elected directors

In the board election held on 18 October, the Rajarshi Shahu Shetkari Samvichari Aghadi led by Congress leader Satej Patil won 13 of the 25 seats, and the Mahayuti panel won 12, according to eSakal. Voting among the union’s member societies was close to 100 percent.

Neither side could hold a chairman’s election with the required quorum, and the vote stalled. The state then nominated directors to the Gokul board with voting rights. With those votes, Mahayuti’s tally rose to 16 on Tuesday.

Rajesh Patil is from the NCP, and the post went to that party under the Mahayuti seat-sharing arrangement. After his win, he told Pudhari that a remote, hilly area like Chandgad had got representation in Gokul “after 63 years”.

The ordinance and the High Court case

The change came through a state ordinance that amended Section 73AAA(2) of the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960. It allows the government to place five members, four of them with voting rights, on the boards of large federal cooperatives that take state help and have turnover above Rs 500 crore, Bar and Bench reported. We covered the amendment earlier in our report on government directors in cooperatives.

A director, Shashikant Anandrao Patil, challenged the ordinance in the Bombay High Court. On Monday, 9 November, vacation judge Justice Neeraj P Dhote refused to stay it, so the chairman’s election went ahead.

The court made the result subject to the final outcome of the petition. It ordered that ballots of the 25 elected directors and of the state nominees be kept separately, and that all election papers be preserved. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued for the petitioner and Mukul Rohatgi for the state.

What both sides have said

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the nominations were meant to end a quorum deadlock, and that repeated failure to elect a chairman could have handed the union’s powers to the District Deputy Registrar, Indian Cooperative reported. He denied any plan to take over the union.

Congress called it an attempt to override the mandate of about 5.5 lakh dairy farmers. Satej Patil led a large march in Kolhapur with MP Shahu Maharaj Chhatrapati, NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil and farmer leader Raju Shetti. The protesters also raised demands for better milk prices.

Why Gokul matters beyond Kolhapur

Gokul collects milk from village societies across Kolhapur district and sells it in Kolhapur, Pune, Mumbai and other cities under the Gokul brand. Its board decides the procurement price paid to farmers, so the chairman’s post carries political weight across western Maharashtra.

For Pune buyers, nothing changes immediately. Milk prices and supply are set by the board and were not part of Tuesday’s vote.

What happens next

The High Court will hear the petition after the vacation, before a regular bench. If the court strikes down the ordinance, the chairman’s election could be reopened, since it was held subject to the case.

Opposition parties have said they will continue the protest. We will update this story when the court hears the case. More from the state is in our Maharashtra section.

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