The BJP appears to be facing resistance to the growing “politicisation” of Gujarat’s sugar cooperative sector, with party-backed panels losing ground in recent elections and rebels challenging the official candidates.The BJP had dominated the boards of the state’s 13 operational cooperative sugar factories — most of them in South Gujarat — for at least a decade. But elections held in August have exposed growing divisions within the party. In two of the six cooperatives that went to the polls, BJP-backed panels lost to rival panels that included BJP rebels. Even where the party retained control, its strength declined in some bodies.The biggest setback came at the Shree Khedut Sahakari Khand Udyog Mandli Ltd, popularly known as Bardoli Sugar, where a farmers’ panel ended the BJP’s 20-year hold over the cooperative.Of the 15 seats, the BJP-backed Sahkar Panel won only two, while the Kisan Parivartan Panel secured the remaining 13. The latter included BJP rebels as well as Congress candidates. Among those defeated was BJP’s Bardoli MLA Ishvar Parmar, who lost to Tarun Vaghela, a Congress candidate he had defeated in the 2022 Assembly election.At Bardoli, the rebellion also had the backing of BJP leaders from within the organisation. Atul Patel, husband of Surat District Panchayat BJP president Bhavini Patel, was among those elected from the Kisan Parivartan Panel.Bardoli Sugar, founded in 1955 as Gujarat’s first cooperative sugar factory, has an annual turnover of around Rs 600-800 crore and is regarded as one of the largest cooperative sugar factories in Asia.Former Surat District Panchayat president and outgoing Bardoli Sugar vice-chairman Bhavesh Patel said the result reflected growing political interference in cooperatives.Story continues below this ad“I have been vice-chairman for the last two terms in Bardoli Sugar, and this is the first time Parivartan Panel candidates (BJP rebel and Congress candidates) won with majority,” he said. “There used to be no political interference in the election of sugar cooperatives but over the past few years, they have become an important platform for political parties. In my view, political parties should be kept away from the election of cooperative bodies. The internal fighting between different groups of BJP has led to the rise of the Parivartan Panel.”The first signsThe first indication of the BJP’s declining grip had come at Sayan Sugar in Surat district. The BJP-backed Vikas Panel won only six of the 18 seats, while the Parivartan Panel secured nine and three went to Independents.The result led to a confrontation on September 2, when BJP leaders allegedly tried to issue mandates for the posts of chairman and vice-chairman. Elected members protested, arguing that the appointments were the prerogative of the elected body.Congress leader and elected Sayan cooperative member Darshan Naik said the BJP had politicised the cooperative elections by introducing the system of party mandates.Story continues below this ad“The cooperative sector has been established as a social responsibility by people who are devoted to the betterment of farmers,” Naik said. “The cooperative is run with a not-for-profit motive.”According to Naik, contests earlier took place between Sahkar and Parivartan panels and Independents, without direct political party intervention. He alleged that the mandate system was introduced after C R Paatil became Gujarat BJP president.“Sugar bodies have a strong presence among farmers in the district, and the BJP is taking political advantage of it in the local body elections as well as the Assembly and parliamentary elections,” he said.Surat district BJP president Bharat Rathod defended the mandate system, saying it was introduced to maintain “discipline” among party workers.Story continues below this ad“In the sugar cooperative election, over 95% of candidates in the poll fray are BJP functionaries and supporters. As the members displayed indiscipline, the mandate procedure was introduced to put control on party rebel leaders,” he said.He acknowledged that the party’s involvement had expanded because sugar cooperatives have a presence across talukas and districts and connect thousands of farmers with the government.Not all is lostWhile the BJP lost at Bardoli and Sayan, it retained control of three other cooperatives —Bharuch, Gandevi and Kamrej — though internal divisions were evident.At Kamrej Vibhag Sahakari Khand Mandli Udyog Ltd, the BJP-backed Sahkar Panel won 13 of 18 seats, while the Parivartan Panel won two and Independents three. In the previous term, the Sahkar Panel had won 16 seats.Story continues below this adAt Gandevi Sugar in Navsari, the BJP-backed Samanvay Panel won 11 seats, with four going to rivals and one to an Independent. Both panels were largely made up of BJP functionaries, underlining the internal nature of the contest.At Pandvai Sugar Cooperative in Bharuch, the BJP-backed Sahkar Panel effectively secured the board after 14 Parivartan candidates and an Independent withdrew on the final day of nominations. Elections were held for only two of the 16 seats. Gujarat Water Resources and Water Supply Minister and Gujarat State Sugar Cooperative Factories Ltd chairman Ishwarsinh Patel was among those elected.BJP begins damage controlThe BJP has since begun efforts to contain the rebellion ahead of elections at the remaining cooperatives. From August 30, party leaders started meeting elected members of the Sahkar and Parivartan panels at the party’s Bardoli office to assess support for chairperson and vice-chairperson appointments.In Madhi Sugar, BJP district leaders have also held discussions with functionaries who had been working with the Parivartan camp in an attempt to reach a compromise with incumbent chairman Samir Bhakt. Congress leaders, meanwhile, have begun preparing to field candidates.Story continues below this adElections at Madhi, Mahuva and Chalthan are among those due in the coming weeks.The rebellion has been particularly visible at Mahuva Sugar. Chairman Mansinh Patel, a former MP and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly who has headed the cooperative for a decade, has again filed his nomination from the BJP-backed Sahkar Panel for the September 27 election to 16 management committee seats.On Tuesday, BJP MLA Mohan Dodiya filed his nomination from the rival Parivartan Panel, accompanied by his son Jaymin and a supporter. Bardoli taluka BJP general secretary Jitendra Vansiya and former Surat district BJP general secretary Jigar Naik also filed nominations from the Parivartan camp along with seven other BJP functionaries.In the previous Mahuva election, Sahkar won 13 seats, and Parivartan won three.Story continues below this adPatel defended his record, saying farmers were satisfied with the cooperative’s performance. He also cited the takeover of Coper Cooperative Sugar at Valod in Tapi district, which was facing difficulty in servicing its loans.“We have invested Rs 27 crore into Coper Sugar to save it from going to private players. We have a good impression among the farmers,” Patel said.The political contest comes against a backdrop of changes in South Gujarat’s sugar economy. Bhavesh Patel said Bardoli’s cane crushing had fallen from around 17 lakh metric tonnes three years ago to 11.51 lakh metric tonnes this year. Farmers, he said, were shifting to other crops because of rising cultivation costs and declining returns.Agricultural land has also shrunk because of urbanisation and infrastructure projects such as the Surat outer ring road, bullet train, freight corridor and expressway.Story continues below this adOf Gujarat’s 23 sugar cooperatives, 20 are in South Gujarat, including eight in Surat district — the highest in the state. Bharuch has four, Valsad and Tapi three each, and Navsari two. Two are in Junagadh and one in Vadodara.A senior BJP leader said the cooperative elections had become an “opportunity” for leaders who believed they had not been adequately rewarded with party positions or election tickets.“There is a lot more in-fighting among BJP leaders, which is spread across different groups in Surat district,” the leader said.