AMID THE POLITICAL ROW over the integrity of the electoral procedures in India, the recently conducted election in the cooperative sector of Maharashtra’s Gokul Dairy has sparked another major controversy, as the BJP-led Mahayuti’s alliance secured the seat of the Chairperson, despite the electoral mandate coming in favour of the congress-backed alliance. 

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The initial electoral verdict came in favour of the Congress-backed candidates, securing 13 of the 25 seats, but an amendment to the Co-operative Societies Act, 1960, overturned the mandate leading to the Mahayuti alliance’s triumph over the chairperson’s seat.

What happened in the Gokul dairy elections?

The elections to the Gokul Dairy — also known as the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union — were held on October 19, 2026.

The panel led by Congress MLC Satej Patil, known as the Rajarshi Shahu Shetkari Samavichari Aghadi, secured 13 of the 25 seats, defeating the Mahayuti-backed Chhatrapati Shahu Shetkari Vikas Aghadi, which won the remaining 12 seats.

The outcome, at least initially, was a setback for the BJP-led alliance, as the cooperative-sector in the state of Maharashtra, particularly the Gokul Dairy, holds considerable influence upon the rural political and economic landscape of western Maharashtra.

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However, it was in the process of electing the chairperson of the board, that the electoral verdict could stand tall. The Mahayuti-backed directors did not attend the meeting scheduled on October 29, 2026 for electing the chairperson. Subsequently, the meeting was adjourned by the presiding officer — as the quorum required to convene the meeting and take decisions stood at 14, according to the laws of the cooperative. Only the 13 members belonging to Satej Patil’s panel were present.

Following this adjournment, the members of the Satej Patil’s panel held a separate meeting, and unanimously declared Shashikant Patil Chuyekar as the elected Chairperson. 

However, this decision was not recognized by the Gokul Dairy administration, and a legal dispute erupted over this appointment.

What did the BJP government amend to overturn the mandate?

Amid the tussle, the BJP government in Maharashtra amended the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act. An ordinance was issued on November 4, 2026 by the government, and assented by the Governor on November 6 — and the Cooperative Societies Act underwent a change.

With the amendment through this ordinance, the government could now nominate five directors to certain large cooperative institutions, of which four of them would have voting rights. No sooner had this change been implemented, than four members were nominated to the Gokul Dairy board. 

What followed was a meeting among the elected and nominated members of the Gokul Board on November 10, in which the four newly nominees voted in favour of the BJP-led alliance. Thus, what would initially be a 13-12 in favour of the Congress-led alliance, turned to 16-13 in favour of the BJP-led alliance. 

The defeated-group had approached the Bombay High Court on November 9, in order to ensure that the government-nominated directors would be refrained from exercising voting rights. The High Court did not respond in their favour.

As a result, what happened in the end was the materialization of an outcome, which was not possible statistically — had the electoral mandate of the 25 seats in the Gokul Dairy been in consideration. An amendment to an existing law, and a different outcome altogether. 

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