Kolhapur : State govt has indefinitely deferred elections to cooperative bodies, including district cooperative banks and sugar mills, citing drought conditions in 304 talukas.
The cooperation department said proceeding with the polls would divert staff from relief duties, inconveniencing farmers in the affected areas.
A notification issued by the cooperation department on Tuesday stated that govt was empowered under the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960, to defer polls through a general or special order when holding them was not in the public interest due to natural calamities like drought or floods.
“Elections mandated by court orders, as well as those where the nomination process has already begun, will also proceed,” the notification stated. The decision will not apply to cooperatives located in non-drought-affected districts. “Holding cooperative society elections in these talukas would require govt officers and staff to be diverted to election duties, potentially hampering drought relief operations. It would also make it difficult for farmers and other members in drought-affected areas to take part in the elections,” the notification stated.