In a major decision aimed at reducing the influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the crucial co-operative sector, the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Agadhi (MVA) Government has removed the administrators and all the directors appointed by the previous BJP Government in 19 co-operative sugar factories in various parts of the State.

The successive Congress (and NCP since 1999) Governments had over the years derived their political clout from the co-operative bodies, including sugar factories and banks. However, after the saffron alliance Government replaced the previous Congress-led Democratic Front (DF) Governmnet in the state in 2014, the BJP had taken control of the cooperative sector by appointing its administrators and directors on various co-operative sugar factories.

During its tenure, the BJP-led Government had suffocated several big sugar co-operative societies managed by the NCP and Congress leaders, by reducing quantum of loans extended to them from time to time through co-operative banks.

With several of these sugar cooperative factories incurring huge losses, some of the NCP and Congress leaders running these sugar cooperative factories had switched over to the BJP in the run up to the Lok Sabha and State Assembly polls held last year.

However, after the advent of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress grand alliance’s MVA dispensation took over the reins of the State last month, the Uddhav Thackeray Government has initiated the process to regain the control of the co-operative sector once again. The NCP, which has over the years built a strong base in western Maharashtra through sugar-cooperatives, holds the crucial Cooperation ministry in the Uddhav Thackeray government. Its senior leader Balasaheb Patil is the Co-operation Minister in the MVA government.

Official sources said that the Uddhav Thackeray, through the Pune-based State Sugar Commissionerate has issued an order annulling the appointments of administrators and directors made by the previous BJP government in 19 co-operative sugar factories in various parts of the State.

The 19 sugar co-operative sugar factories, in which the state government has removed the BJP-appointed administrators and directors, include Ajinkyatara Cooperative Sugar factory, Satara, Dr Patangrao co-op sugar factory, Kadegaon-Sangli, Someshwar cooperative sugar factory, Baramati, Purna Co-op sugar factory, Hingoli, Adinath coop sugar factory, Solapur, Chhatrapati Co-op sugar factory, Indapur, Raobahadur co-operative sugar factory, Shirol, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar co-op sugar factory, Osmanabad, AAjara co-op sugar factory, Kolhapur, Vithalrao Shinde co-op sugar factory, Madha, Rena Co-op sugar factory, Latur and Bhima coop sugar factory, Phatas-Daund.

Sources said that the state government would soon appoint its nominees as the administrators and directors in these 19 sugar co-operative factories.

 In another measure, the MVA Government has initiated steps to show the door to the BJP-appointed directors in district co-operative banks, market committees and cooperative societies (coming under the purview of sugar factories) and replace them with the nominees belonging to the three parties in the current Government in the State.