Cabinet clears four government-nominated directors on Gokul; Awhad slams move

The Gokul milk union election had drawn the attention of the entire state. The alliance led by Satej Patil won it 13-12. The BJP-led alliance won 12 seats and lost the chairman's post by a margin of just two seats. The election for the union's chairman has not yet been held, and a new twist has now emerged.

The twist comes from a decision taken at a Cabinet meeting. The Mahayuti government has approved a proposal to appoint four government-nominated (co-opted) expert directors to the Gokul milk union. Further, these four co-opted members have also been given the right to vote in cooperative institutions. Satej (Bunty) Patil's faction currently holds the majority in Gokul. However, if the government appoints four members from outside and gives them the right to vote, the picture of the chairman's election could change. For this reason, the Maha Vikas Aghadi, especially Satej Patil, is strongly opposing the decision. Patil had called it strangling democracy.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Jitendra Awhad has also sharply criticised the decision. In a post on his social media account, he targeted the ruling parties. Awhad said the rulers have been thoroughly humiliated in the Gokul election. According to him, the entire ruling camp contested the election together, yet Bunty Patil snatched the victory on the strength of public support. Awhad said the ruling camp still does not seem able to digest this. He alleged that today they have installed four government-appointed members on Gokul and will soon give these members the right to vote as well.

Awhad appealed to the people of Kolhapur to pay attention to the matter. He said Kolhapur is a land of equality, the land of Shahu Maharaj, and it is necessary to show this to the arrogant rulers. He also said that only a day or two ago the BJP had held rallies across the country in the name of "Save Democracy", and today the same people, rattled by a single defeat, are laying democracy's corpse low. Finally, Awhad told the people of Kolhapur that it is time for a "decisive fight", meaning a final showdown. He made this appeal to the public over Gokul politics.