Gokul Dairy Power Struggle: Thousands of Farmers Join Kolhapur Protest Over Maharashtra Government's Rule Change

The Maharashtra government's decision to give voting rights to four nominated directors on the Gokul Dairy board triggered massive protests in Kolhapur on Monday, with thousands of dairy farmers and Opposition leaders marching against the move.

The protest, led by the Rajarshi Shahu Shetkari Samvichari Aghadi under Congress MLC Satej Patil, saw farmers bring cattle to the streets as they marched from Dasara Chowk to the district collectorate.

The demonstrators accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government of attempting to take control of the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union, popularly known as Gokul, by changing the rules after losing the board elections.

More than 40,000 people reportedly participated in the protest, including dairy farmers, political leaders and representatives of farmers' organisations. Congress leaders and MPs joined the march carrying black flags and banners opposing the government's decision.

Why Has Gokul Dairy Become a Political Flashpoint?

The controversy follows the October 19 elections to Gokul's 25-member board of directors.

The Opposition-backed panel led by Satej Patil won 13 seats, while the Mahayuti-backed panel secured 12. The result gave the Opposition an advantage in the influential cooperative institution, which has an annual turnover of more than ₹4,000 crore.

However, the Maharashtra Cabinet subsequently approved a change allowing the government to nominate five members to the managing committees of cooperative institutions with annual turnovers exceeding ₹500 crore, excluding district central cooperative banks.

Four of these nominated members will have voting rights.

In Gokul's case, the change could increase the Mahayuti's effective strength from 12 to 16 on the 25-member board, potentially reversing the outcome of the election.

Opposition Accuses BJP Of Changing Rules After Election

Congress leaders have accused the BJP of attempting to overturn the mandate given by milk producers through the legislative change.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had earlier criticised the decision, alleging that the BJP changed the rules after losing the election to secure a majority on the board.

Satej Patil also accused the Maharashtra government of interfering in the cooperative's functioning and undermining the election results.

NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule extended support to the agitation, saying the government was attempting to take control of an institution despite the Opposition-backed panel winning the election.

Farmers, MPs And Lawyers Join Protest

Farmers from across Kolhapur district participated in the march, with several bringing their cattle to the demonstration.

Sangli MP Vishal Patil, Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil, former MP Raju Shetti and other political representatives joined the protest. Local lawyers also participated, saying they wanted to protect democratic principles within cooperative institutions.

Police maintained a heavy presence along the protest route, particularly around the district collectorate, to prevent any untoward incident.

Ordinance Challenged In Bombay High Court

The Rajarshi Shahu Shetkari Samvichari Aghadi has challenged the government's ordinance in the Bombay High Court, seeking its cancellation.

The legal challenge argues against granting voting rights to government-nominated directors after the cooperative's board elections have already been conducted.

The dispute has put the spotlight on the future leadership of Gokul, one of Maharashtra's prominent dairy cooperatives.

The Maharashtra government, meanwhile, has defended the decision, arguing that the provision is intended to address governance and quorum-related problems within cooperative institutions rather than facilitate a political takeover.