Only 9 SUMUL Dairy board seats to see contest as BJP-backed front bags 7 unopposed

With five days to go, the number of seats on which elections for the Board of Directors of Surat-Tapi District Milk Producers Union Ltd, popularly SUMUL dairy, are to be held, have further shrunk. From the 16 seats due for elections the BJP-backed Sahkar panel first won five uncontested. Now the elections on July 15 will be held on nine seats to elect directors after one BJP rebel candidate and one Congress – backed candidate withdrew resulting in the BJP winning a total of seven seats uncontested.

Feeling threatened, the Congress had taken all the 11 candidates fighting on its panel– Pashupalak Heet Rakshak Samiti (PHRS) or as independents against the BJP, to a “safe place” outside Gujarat, over a week back to protect them from being influenced by the BJP. Former Surat district president of Congress Darshan Naik said, “They returned on July 4 (last day of withdrawal of form).”

The election has become interesting with not just Congress and BJP backed panels contesting against each other but rebels from either side contesting as independents or from rival panels against their parent parties.

The SUMUL dairy with an annual turnover of Rs. 6500 crore is one of the six founding dairies of Gujarat co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) which owns the Amul brand and has 18 milk unions under its umbrella, most of whose bodies are controlled by BJP-backed chairpersons. With a 2.5 lakh membership, political party-backed panels vie to take control of the co-operative for the clout it has in the rural community. Source say, daily over 15 lakh litres of milk is sold to Surat and Tapi consumers.

The dairy is directly associated with lakhs of people in Surat and Tapi and has expansion plans in Goa and Maharashtra.

BJP MLA from Choryasi in Surat and former director of Sumul Dairy, Sandeep desai said that “The Amul Federation has given approval for setting up new plant with capacity to process 18 lakh litres of milk, which includes 5 lakhs litres in Kolhapur, 5 lakhs in Mumbai, 3 lakhs in Goa and 5 lakhs in Nasik. The Sumul dairy will purchase land and set up a plant over there. The milk will be sold under the brand of Amul”.

Earlier known as Surat District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd the 75-year-old dairy was renamed to include milk unions of Tapi district, in a strategic outreach to tribal areas . Outgoing vice chairman of the dairy, Raju Pathak tells The Indian Express, “The dairy was not very popular in the tribal areas in Surat district as there was no infrastructure for milk marketing in the talukas. The tribal’s keep their cows for progeny rather than milk, which was insufficient even to nurse the calves. Most of the tribals were unaware of the usual milch breeds. Presently, many people are involved in cattle rearing as they are getting good money through supply of milk and many have chosen it as a profession.”

Story continues below this ad

Former director of SUMUL Dairy Jayesh Delad said, “Sumul dairy produces not only milk and dairy products but sweets, cattle feed, ice creams and bakery products. The milk produced in SUMUL is also sold in Goa, Kolhapur and Mumbai , keeping in mind demand from customers.”

According to Pathak who is among the seven candidates from the BJP-backed Sahkar panel declared victor uncontested, “This time again BJP will regain its power in Sumul Dairy as the farmers are also very much satisfied with the prices of milk they get. Our vehicles fetch milk from different villages and talukas in Surat and Tapi districts. As lakhs of people are associated with this industry, the political parties keep eyes on the election of Sumul Dairy.”

Pathak said, “there are only three rebels BJP candidates in the poll fray and they are ordinary party workers. They have no major presence or are big stalwarts. Once the elections are finished steps (action) will also be taken on them by the party.”

Congress leader Darshan Naik said, “We were not very strong on those seats which went uncontested to BJP. We have good hold on the remaining nine seats and this time the battle would be tough for BJP.”

Story continues below this ad

As per the website of Sumul Dairy, in 2024-25, the total sales of milk in Surat city was over 44.29 crores litres, the sale in a single day being 15.23 lakh litres.

Besides Sumul also manufactures six different types of cattle feed, so that cattle rearers get good milk yield. It also has veterinary doctors to guide cattle rearers and treat sick animals. The dairy also provides subsidies to cattle rearers for buying new livestock, says an officials.

The 2.5 lakh members who supply milk to the collection centre elect their 1002 presidents who are voters in the upcoming elections on July 15.

“The BJP has been controlling this dairy since 2015 when the party introduced the mandate process, so that candidates aligned with it can be easily identified and the party can continue its ruling in the Dairy”, said a source in SUMUL Dairy.

Story continues below this ad

The outgoing chairperson of the dairy is Mansinh Patel, who is not in the race this time because of “ill health”.

On July 4, the last day of withdrawal of nomination forms, one of the candidates from the Congress-backed PHRS, Sunil Gamit representing the Uchhal seat who had already withdrawn his nomination a day earlier, died following a ‘heart attack’. With only two candidates in the fray, Election Officer Neha Savani, a revenue officer in the Surat district collectorate, declared the BJP-backed candidate Jalamsinh Vasava as uncontested winner after the rebel Congress candidate Samir Vasava also withdrew his nomination on July 2. The Congress had sought postponement of the elections to the Uchhal seat after Gamit’s death, however, since he had already withdrawn, the election officer did not agree to the demand.

Before this, on July 2, one more candidate, a former chairman of the Surat District Co-operative Bank Naresh Patel withdrew his nomination for the Valod seat which also went uncontested to the BJP. Patel was contesting as a rebel after the BJP did not nominate him, while the Congress had not fielded any candidate from this seat.

Out of a total of 19 seats, there are three nominated directors, one each by the GCMMF, the National Dairy Development Board and the District Registrar, while the election is held on the remaining 16 seats, out of which, till Tuesday, six seats had gone uncontested to BJP-backed candidates, with no rivals in the poll fray.

Story continues below this ad

The three nominated directors of GCMMF, NDDB, and the District Registrar do not have a vote in the elections.

The six seats candidates who won from BJP-backed Sahkar panel are Sandip Desai, BJP MLA of Choryasi from the same seat , Raju Pathak , outgoing vice chairman of SUMUL dairy from Mangrol, the rest being active BJP workers Bharatsinh Solanki (Palsana) , Balwant Patel (, Kamrej) Ajit Patel ( Bardoli ) and (Rajkumar Ahir (Valod).

Out of the nine seats to see a contest, five are in Tapi district representing the milk unions ?of Vyara, Songadh Nizar, Dolvan and Kukarmunda while four seats represent the milk unions of Surat district — Mahuva, Olpad, Mandvi and Umarpada.

On the Dolvan, Kukarmunda, Olpad and Mahuva seats the contest will be between the BJP-backed Sahkar panel, rebel BJP candidates some of them contesting under the banner of PHRS backed by Congress and some independent candidates.

Story continues below this ad

BJP is contesting the election under the banner of “Sahkar Panel”, while some of the rebel BJP candidates and Congress candidates are contesting on PPHRS and few as independent candidates.