BJP wins Amul Dairy elections for the first time with clear majority; Congress alleges ‘underhanded tactics’

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat has won a clear majority in the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, popularly known as Amul Dairy for the first time. In the elections held on September 10, the BJP secured 11 out of 13 seats on the Board of Directors, including one individual member seat. Four of these seats had been won uncontested before the voting began.

During the counting on Friday, the BJP emerged victorious in six block seats and one individual seat, while the Congress managed to retain its seat in Borsad and win Kapadvanj. This victory is a major milestone for the BJP, which has been aiming to take control of Amul Dairy for years, especially after its landslide win in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections with a margin of 156 seats. In February 2023, the party had gained partial control of the cooperative when four Congress directors switched allegiance to the BJP.

In the previous Amul Dairy elections of 2020, the Congress had won eight of the 11 seats contested. This time, the BJP not only won 10 block seats but also secured the individual member seat, marking the first time it has controlled a majority in Amul’s history. The party already has a majority in all 18 milk unions in Gujarat that are part of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation.

BJP election in-charge Ajay Brahmabhatt credited the victory to the development work done over the past five years. “For the first time in Amul’s history, 11 out of our 13 directors have won. The maximum we ever had was three,” he said. Brahmabhatt added that the party regretted not winning Borsad and Kapadvanj.