Ex-minister Harshvardhan Patil elected NFCSF chief

The NFCSF was established in 1960. It’s main objective was to build a strong cooperative sugar sector at national and state level. Maharashtra is the largest sugar-producing state in the country.

“My election as NFCSF president brings greater responsibilities. I will do my best keeping in mind the stated objective for which the federation was constituted. The welfare of the sugar sector with farmers’ interests will be an integral aspect. I will try to do justice to the post,” Patil said.

Ahead of the 2019 Assembly elections, Patil had quit the Congress to join the BJP. He was BJPs candidate from Indapur Assembly seat in Pune district in Western Maharashtra. However, he lost to a then undivided NCP’s Dattatrey Bharne.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Patil was given to understand that he would be considered as the Congress-NCP candidate from Indapur assembly election. As a result, he wholeheartedly worked in his constituency. Indapur is one of the six Assembly segments that come under Baramati Lok Sabha seat. Harshvardhan Patil had worked for NCP’s Supriya Sule who was contesting from Baramati in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Six months later, the NCP did not agree to Patil’s candidature to the Indapur assembly seat. Instead, they supported Dattatrey Bharne’s candidature, who was a close associate of Ajit Pawar. Patil felt let down by NCP and joined the BJP.

After losing the 2019 assembly polls, Patil has had no important post in the BJP. Although he has been pro-active in the sugar sector, leading the delegation at the Centre, he always wanted a position of prominence.

A BJP functionary said, “Harshvardhan Patil was seriously considered for Rajya Sabha. But then with just three seats they had to accommodate Ashok Chavan, Medha Kulkarni and Ajit Gopchade.”

It was also felt that Patil, with his knowledge of the cooperative sector, would be a suitable candidate for the coveted post of NFCSF president.

With Patil’s appointment, it is clear Ajit Pawar will retain his candidate Dattatrey Bharne in Indapur assembly polls.

Patil is a seasoned politician who was minister in successive governments from 1995 to 2014. He had successfully contested as an independent candidate in 1995, 1999 and 2004. In 2009 he joined the Congress. He became minister for cooperation and parliamentary affairs in the Congress-NCP coalition led by then CM Prithviraj Chavan.

In 2014 he was defeated by NCPs Dattatrey Bharne. Despite switching from Congress to BJP, he lost from Indapur assembly constituency in 2019.