Kolhapur: During the golden age of the cooperative movement in Maharashtra, the chairmanship of a sugar factory often attracted more attention in rural politics than a seat in the Legislative Assembly. It was through the political influence of sugar mills and cotton mills that the Congress party established its foothold in rural areas across the state. However, with the decline of the cooperative movement in recent years, rural political leaders have increasingly turned their focus towards the Assembly elections. As a result, this year, a remarkable 24 sugar barons from western Maharashtra are stepping into the electoral ring to test their political future. The weight of the sugar magnates in the upcoming assembly will largely depend on how much the rural electorate values their support.
The state elections are seeing intense competition in several constituencies, with some areas witnessing a direct contest between two sugar barons, while in others, they are up against candidates from established political parties. In Kolhapur district’s Kagal constituency, the battle between sugar factory chairmen Santaji Ghorpade of the Sarsepanthi Sakhara Cooperative Sugar Mill, currently a minister, and Samrajitsingh Ghatge of the Rajarshi Shahu Cooperative Sugar Mill, widely considered a model in cooperative management, is drawing significant attention. In Shahuwadi-Panhala constituency, former minister and leader of the Warna group, Vinay Kore, is facing off against former MLA Satyajit Patil-Sarudkar.
In Radhanagari-Bhudargad, K.P. Patil of Bidri Sugar Factory, Chandradeep Narke, former MLA from Kumbhi Sugar Factory in Karveer, and Amal Mahadik, chairman of Rajaram Sugar Factory in Kolhapur South, are also locked in fierce battles with their respective rivals.
The fight in Shirol constituency, between Ganpatrao Patil of Datt Sugar Factory and Rajendra Patil-Yadravkar, former state minister and chairman of Sharad Cooperative Sugar Factory, is another key contest.
In Sangli district, the Kadegaon constituency sees Congress’s Vishwajit Kadam facing BJP’s Sangram Deshmukh. The Shirala constituency’s contest between Mansingh Naik and Satyajit Deshmukh is also one to watch closely. In Tasgaon, the high-profile contest between former MP Sanjaykaka Patil of the BJP and the son of former home minister R.R. Patil, Rohit Patil, has been the talk of the town. In Walwa, a key battle is emerging between the NCP’s state president Jayant Patil and Nishikant Patil.
In Satara district, the Karhad South constituency is witnessing a high-stakes contest between Atul Bhosale and Balasaheb Patil from Karhad North, while the battle in Patan constituency involves sitting minister Shambhuraje Desai, and Shivendra Raje Bhosale contesting from Satara city. Wai constituency sees Makrand Patil gearing up for a tough fight, while in Maan constituency, the fight between Jaykumar Gore and Prabhakar Ghatge is expected to be a neck-and-neck affair.
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