Surat: Elections for nine seats of the Sumul Dairy Board were conducted peacefully on Wednesday, recording an exceptionally high voter turnout across Surat and Tapi districts. Seven of the nine constituencies witnessed 100% polling, reflecting strong participation from member milk cooperative societies.
The election assumes significance as Sumul Dairy, one of Gujarat’s leading dairy cooperatives with an annual turnover of approximately ₹6,500 crore, is associated with more than 2.5 lakh dairy farmers across the two districts.
The dairy’s elected board comprises 16 member-directors, representing 16 talukas of Surat and Tapi, while three additional members are nominated. A total of 1,003 registered voters, comprising presidents of affiliated milk cooperative societies, are eligible to elect the board members.
Of the 16 elected seats, candidates backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had already secured victory in seven constituencies uncontested. Polling was therefore held for the remaining nine seats—Olpad, Mandvi, Mahuva, Umarpada, Nizar, Kukarmunda, Vyara, Songadh, and Dolvan.
According to election officials, seven constituencies recorded complete voter participation:
- Mandvi – 129 votes (100%)
- Mahuva – 65 votes (100%)
- Nizar – 51 votes (100%)
- Kukarmunda – 43 votes (100%)
- Vyara – 90 votes (100%)
- Songadh – 175 votes (100%)
- Dolvan – 52 votes (100%)
In Olpad, 39 of the 42 registered voters cast their votes after three members were found ineligible under the prescribed voting criteria. Umarpada recorded 59 votes out of 60 registered voters, with one voter remaining absent.
The elections have witnessed a direct contest between the BJP-backed Sahkar Panel and the Pashu Palak Hit Rakshak Samithi, an alliance comprising BJP rebel leaders and Congress representatives. In the previous board elections, Congress had won three seats—Nizar, Uchhal, and Vyara—despite the BJP holding the majority on the board.
Speaking on the election, BJP-backed candidate and MLA Sandeep Desai (Surat Choryasi), who won his seat uncontested, expressed confidence in the cooperative’s continued support among milk producers. He attributed the farmers’ satisfaction to remunerative milk procurement prices and indicated that Sumul Dairy has plans for further expansion beyond Gujarat.
Outgoing Vice-Chairman Raju Pathak stated that the counting process will be conducted on July 17 at the Sumul Dairy banquet hall under the supervision of election authorities.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Darshan Naik expressed optimism regarding his party’s prospects in the contested seats.
Cooperative Significance
Sumul Dairy remains one of India’s prominent cooperative dairy institutions, playing a vital role in the rural economy of South Gujarat. With over 2.5 lakh dairy farmers supplying milk through its cooperative network, the outcome of the board elections will influence the dairy’s future policy decisions, expansion plans, and farmer-centric initiatives for the coming term.
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