Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis
He said the government had no political interest in an institution with around 5,000 voters and influence largely confined to Kolhapur district and a few talukas. He said the law provided for the transfer of powers to the deputy district registrar (DDR) if elections or meetings failed to take place three times due to a lack of quorum.
Interacting with the media at his official residence, Ramgiri, in Nagpur, Fadnavis said neither of the two rival groups had enough members to meet the mandatory quorum requirement. Otherwise, the elected representatives would eventually lose their powers,” he said. There is no need to give the issue a political colour,” he said. Dismissing reports of discontent within the Shiv Sena over the move, Fadnavis said the proposal was a collective decision of the Mahayuti government, taken after consultations with legal experts, including the advocate general. Deputy chief ministers Sunetra Pawar and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde had discussed the proposal with him before it was submitted with their signatures, he said.
Consequently, the chairman’s election could not be held if either group remained absent. “The decision to nominate members was taken to address this statutory problem and ensure the required quorum. Fadnavis pointed out that even after the matter went to court and the election was directed to be held on the 10th, the court had not permitted it to be conducted without a quorum. “If the two groups sit together and reach a consensus, there will be no need to nominate anybody. The government is only trying to fulfil its statutory responsibility. On Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, Fadnavis accused the party of attempting to turn a cooperative institution’s election into a national political issue. Reacting to former Chief Justice of India Bhushan Gavai’s opinion on the matter, he alleged that it was based on facts presented by Congress leader Satej Patil and did not adequately account for the quorum problem faced by both groups. However, he declined to comment on the legal proceedings, saying the court would decide whether the government’s action was justified.
NAGPUR: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday dismissed allegations that the Maharashtra government was attempting to take control of the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (Gokul), saying its intervention was aimed at resolving a prolonged quorum deadlock that had stalled the election of its chairman.