1 Seat Separates Satej Patil’s Panel And Mahayuti In Gokul Election Battle
Several high-profile Mahayuti candidates suffered major defeats, including Navid Mushrif: Reports
MUMBAI: In a significant result, the alliance led by Congress MLA Satej Patil emerged as the single largest coalition in the keenly contested elections to the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (Gokul Milk Union), defeating the ruling Mahayuti coalition.
When the latest reports came in, the Rajarshi Shahu Shetkari Samvichari Aghadi, led by Satej Patil, was leading with 13 of the 25 seats, while the Mahayuti-backed Rajarshi Shahu Vikas Aghadi lost its majority and managed to win 12 seats.
Earlier, the Satej Patil-led alliance appeared to be heading for a landslide victory, leading in 16 seats, while the Mahayuti coalition was ahead in only nine. However, some defeated Mahayuti candidates demanded a recount, which resulted in changes to some of the results.
Several high-profile Mahayuti candidates suffered major defeats, including Navid Mushrif, son of State Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif. Navid lost the OBC category seat to Shashikant Khot of the Samvichari Aghadi by 69 votes.
In previous elections, Satej Patil and Hasan Mushrif had contested as allies. This time, they faced each other on opposing panels.
In other significant results, former Gokul chairpersons Arun Dongale and Vishwas Patil both lost their respective seats.
In a tightly contested battle, prominent leader Shoumika Mahadik suffered a narrow and dramatic defeat by just a handful of votes, prompting calls for a recount. However, she lost again after the recount.
The Gokul election was marked by heavy spending and an intense campaign involving senior Maharashtra leaders, making the outcome a significant political triumph for Satej Patil against the combined might of Mahayuti ministers, MPs and MLAs.
The high-stakes election became a direct prestige battle between the Opposition and the state’s ruling Mahayuti coalition. Mahayuti leaders pulled out all the stops, even visiting prominent temples to take oaths in a bid to secure voter loyalty, yet fell short of a majority.