The Maharashtra state cabinet has approved an amendment to the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act of 1960 on Wednesday, affecting the upcoming chairman elections for the Gokul milk union.
The new rule applies to any cooperative receiving government aid, such as funds, land, loans, or guarantees, with an annual turnover over Rs 500 crore.
The decision was made during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. This change allows the state government to appoint five nominated members to the board of directors of major cooperative societies. District Central Cooperative Banks are completely exempt from this new amendment. Among the five new members, one will be a government official ranked Assistant Registrar or higher, who cannot vote. The remaining four appointed members will be industry experts who can vote in board meetings but cannot run for office-bearer positions.
The state government will issue an ordinance to modify Section 73AA(2) of the cooperative law. The new rule applies to any cooperative receiving government aid, such as funds, land, loans, or guarantees, with an annual turnover over Rs 500 crore. Congress leader Satej Patil’s panel recently won 13 of the 25 elected board seats, while the ruling Mahayuti alliance won 12. The board meeting requires a 14-director quorum, which was missed when Mahayuti members skipped the October 29 chairman election. With four new voting members appointed by the state government, the ruling alliance could gain a 16-to-13 majority before the Bombay High Court’s ordered November 10 re-vote.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, slamming the BJP, said the party changed the rules after milk producers defeated it.
