Fadnavis hits back at Rahul Gandhi over Gokul dairy, says only 4,500 voters involved

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday responded to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the election to the board of directors of the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union, better known as Gokul Dairy. Gandhi had commented on the election.

Fadnavis said only 4,500 voters were involved and asked why the Congress leader was raising the matter from Delhi. Reacting to Gandhi's social media post, he said no panel had won a clear majority on the 25-member board. One group won 13 seats and the other 12. According to Fadnavis, meetings were cancelled repeatedly for want of quorum, and this is why the government had to intervene.

Fadnavis said: "What has happened to Rahul Gandhi. There are just 4,500 voters in Gokul and Rahul Gandhi has to sit in Delhi and tweet about it. Nobody had a majority in Gokul. One side won 13 seats and the other 12."

Explaining the government's decision, he said the quorum needed for the meeting to elect the chairperson was not being met, so the meeting had to be cancelled twice. Fadnavis said: "So the quorum required for the meeting was not being met. The meeting had to be cancelled twice for lack of quorum. If it had been cancelled a third time for lack of quorum, the election itself would have been cancelled. That is why the government took this decision."

Asked about the legal validity of the decision, Fadnavis said the government acted only after taking the Advocate General's opinion. He said: "Some people say this decision will not stand in court, others say it will. The decision was taken only after seeking the Advocate General's opinion." He also questioned Gandhi's involvement, saying: "But this is not a national issue. Rahul Gandhi is getting involved in this too."

Earlier on Thursday, Gandhi had accused the BJP of trying to overturn the mandate in the Gokul milk cooperative election. He said the Congress-backed panel had defeated the BJP-backed Mahayuti alliance and the rules were changed afterwards. In his post on X, he said the BJP had changed the rules after the election to gain a majority on the board, and called it "theft of milk producers' votes".

Gandhi wrote: "Milk producers defeated the BJP in Gokul. So the BJP changed the rules after the election: stuff in 4 directors, turn 12 into 16, steal the majority. This is theft of milk producers' votes, adulteration of the mandate. The BJP has become so desperate that it is going to any lengths everywhere to save power. To those who steal milk producers' votes, remember, farmers do not forget."

The Gokul milk union elections were held on October 19, 2026 for 25 director posts. Turnout was roughly 99.74 to 99.96 per cent. The Congress-backed Rajarshi Shahu Shetkari Samvichari Aghadi, led by Congress MLC Satej Patil, won 13 seats, while the BJP-backed Mahayuti panel got the remaining 12.

The election of the chairperson, however, stalled. The 12 Mahayuti-backed directors repeatedly boycotted meetings, so the quorum of 14 members needed to hold the election was not met. Satej Patil's panel then approached the Bombay High Court. The court issued notices to all 25 elected directors and directed that a fresh chairperson election be held on November 10, 2026.

Meanwhile, on November 4, the Maharashtra Cabinet approved an ordinance. Under it, the state government can nominate five members to the management committees of cooperative institutions with annual turnover above Rs 500 crore. Four of the nominated members will have voting rights. The move could change the balance of power on the Gokul board, and the current 13-12 margin could tilt in Mahayuti's favour.

The ordinance was criticised by several Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Pawan Khera and Rohit Pawar of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). They allege that the government is undermining the people's mandate and the autonomy of cooperative institutions.

The Congress has said it will challenge the ordinance in the Supreme Court. In Kolhapur, Satej Patil led a protest march from Dussehra Chowk to the District Collector's office and called November 4 a "black day" for Maharashtra's cooperative movement. Leaders of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) have also called for a gherao of the Gokul Dairy headquarters.