43 candidates in fray, fight between two panels in Satara’s Krishna sugar factory poll

Kolhapur: As many as 43 candidates are in the fray across two rival panels for the prestigious Yashwantrao Mohite Krishna Cooperative Sugar Factory, at Rethre Budruk near Karad in Satara district, with the election set for June 21.The contest has narrowed down to two main panels — one led by incumbent chairman Suresh Bhosale and his son, BJP MLA Atul Bhosale, and the other headed by Avinash Mohite — after a large number of nominations were withdrawn.Tuesday marked the last day for withdrawal, with 139 candidates initially filing nominations. Of these, 86 candidates withdrew, leaving 43 candidates still in the race.The sugar factory, spread across Satara and Sangli districts along the Krishna river basin, has around 47,000 farmer-members who elect the governing body once every five years, making the polls a significant event in the cooperative sector.In the previous election held in 2021, three panels had contested, with the Bhosale-led panel sweeping all 21 seats. Suresh Bhosale was subsequently elected chairman by the directors.The upcoming election is expected to witness a direct contest between traditional rivals, the Bhosale and Mohite camps, both of whom are actively reaching out to key functionaries and voter blocs in Karad, Walva and Palus-Kadegaon tehsils.While political alignments remain fluid, NCP (SP) MLA Jayant Patil has not publicly declared support for any panel. Meanwhile, Mohite camp functionaries claim to have backing from Congress MLA Vishwajeet Kadam following recent meetings.