Panel backed by Ajit Pawar regains control of Malegaon sugar mill

Of the three cooperative mills in the area, this was the only one not controlled by a miller backed by the Pawar family.

In the 2015 board election, a panel, led by Ranjan Kaka Taware, had managed to win the elections, much to the dismay of the Pawar family. Over the last five years, the Malegaon mill had made headlines due to the higher cane prices it paid to growers. Meanwhile, Taware has gravitated towards the BJP, with then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP state chief Chandrakant Patil visiting the mill multiple times.

Chandanrao Taware, a director of the mill, had played an important role in the functioning of the mill. While he is a life-long friend of Sharad Pawar, Chandanrao had fallen out with Ajit Pawar over the years. Chandanrao’s nephew Rajanan kept his distance from both the Pawars and used his proximity with the BJP to get financial and other benefits for the mill. While most mills were refused permission to expand in the last five years, the Malegaon sugar mill was allowed to do so.

The growing influence of the BJP on a mill located in the Pawars’ bastion had not gone down well with the family. Ajit Pawar had taken a personal interest in the recent elections and held multiple meetings over it. The electoral victory will help the Pawar family further strengthen its hold in the region.