Overview
- The state issued the ordinance and on Monday moved to appoint five government‑nominated directors with voting rights to cooperatives with annual turnover above Rs 500 crore, a step aimed at changing Gokul’s 25‑member board makeup.
- In the October 19 election the Congress‑led Aghadi won 13 elected seats at Gokul while the Mahayuti‑backed panel won 12, leaving the ruling alliance short of a clear elected majority.
- Thousands of dairy farmers and opposition leaders led a Sangharsh Morcha in Kolhapur, bringing cattle and black flags as they demanded immediate withdrawal of the ordinance and protection of cooperative autonomy.
- The Rajarshi Shahu Shetkari Samvichari Aghadi filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking revocation of the ordinance, and legal observers including Justice Bhushan Gavai warned the reconstitution could face protracted judicial review.
- Control of Gokul matters beyond board seats because the union handles billions of rupees in annual turnover and local patronage, a dynamic that is intensifying NCP factional tensions and could shape nominations and alliances ahead of future local polls.