Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Dhangekar opposed the Maharashtra government’s move to nominate directors to the Gokul dairy board. He said, "There should be no attempt to forcibly capture power at Gokul." This criticism highlights internal tension within the Mahayuti alliance after the opposition won the recent milk cooperative elections.

Ravindra Dhangekar, a leader of the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, said the verdict of Gokul dairy's farmer-members should be honoured.

Amid a row over the Maharashtra government nominating directors to the board of the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers Dairy (Gokul), Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Dhangekar has urged it not to try to "forcibly capture power", saying the mandate of farmers must be respected.

"There should be no attempt to forcibly capture power at Gokul. No cheating should take place. We should live up to democratic norms," Dhangekar told The Indian Express.

Dhangekar's remarks expose potential differences in the ruling Mahayuti alliance over the government's handling of one of Maharashtra's most influential cooperative institutions.

The Gokul controversy

In the Gokul milk cooperative elections held last month, an alliance led by Congress leader Satej Patil defeated the Mahayuti alliance, winning 13 seats to the ruling alliance's 12. This week, the state Cabinet approved a proposal, giving the government the power to appoint five directors to its board, four of them with voting rights.

Dhangekar said the verdict of Gokul's farmer-members should be honoured. "Those who have secured a majority should be allowed to claim power. All laws and regulations should be followed. Attempts should not be made to gain backdoor entry," he said.

Clarifying that he was not targeting any specific party, Dhangekar said, "I am demanding that we should follow all democratic norms with regards to Gokul. Otherwise, future generations will not forgive us. We should not resort to any dubious means to gain power...I am not targeting any particular party, but I feel we should respect the system and the mandate in this regard."

He also criticised the government's decision to facilitate the appointment of directors. "It is wrong to change the law and nominate four directors on Gokul's board. This kind of cheating is just not done. We should follow all the norms governing the elections to the cooperatives," he said.

Second public criticism

This is the second time in less than a month that Dhangekar has criticised the ruling alliance. Last month, after a Mahayuti candidate lost in Pune in the state Legislative Council election, Dhangekar had openly targeted the BJP. The BJP, in turn, had sought to know if Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde agreed with Dhangekar's views. Shinde refused to comment.

Meanwhile, Patil alleged that the Mahayuti was making "desperate attempts" to take control of Gokul. He claimed that after nominating directors to the board, the alliance was keeping them at locations such as Goa, Surat and Udaipur. "I know where they are staying...they are being asked to sign affidavits. They have no clue what has been written on them," he alleged.