Satej Patil
Their appointments, made under a state ordinance upheld by Bombay high court, ended the deadlock on the 25-member board: Samavichari Aghadi had 13 directors and Mahayuti 12, leaving neither side able to meet the 14-member quorum requirement.
Patil alleged some govt-nominated directors produced certificates claiming six months’ experience and suggested they could later be replaced by defeated candidates through a “backdoor entry”. Mushrif, meanwhile, said Rajesh Patil would hold the post for one year, with the chairpersonship rotating annually among alliance partners over the next five years under a power-sharing arrangement. The high-stakes chairperson election ended in a victory for Mushrif-led Mahayuti, which edged past Patil’s Samavichari Aghadi with the backing of four govt-nominated directors. The court has ordered that ballot papers, nomination papers and related election records remain sealed in the custody of the Kolhapur district treasury office. The high-stakes voting was held at Gokul Dairy’s Shirgaon MIDC facility amid heavy police presence. Senior ministers Chandrakant Patil, Mushrif and Prakash Abitkar, along with other Mahayuti leaders, addressed supporters at the victory rally. Even after the result, the political sparring continued.