The Someshwar sugar factory election will be held on Sunday across 93 polling centres in Baramati, Purandar, Khandala and Phaltan, with 27,767 voters set to choose the 21-member board that will govern the cooperative for the next five years.
The election for the Shri Someshwar Cooperative Sugar Factory has attracted three panels and independent candidates. A total of 83 candidates remain in the contest, including 62 candidates backed by the three panels and 21 independents. The polling administration has completed preparations across the four talukas covered by the factory’s operational area.
The election process began with 601 nomination applications filed by 556 candidates. After scrutiny, 514 applications were declared valid. By the final deadline for withdrawals, 431 candidates had withdrawn, leaving 83 candidates in the final contest.
The electorate includes 27,626 producer-member representatives. Another 141 voters belong to the ‘B’ class cooperative producer category, non-producer institutions and marketing institutions. Together, they will decide the composition of the board for the 2026-27 to 2031-32 term.
Of the 21 director positions, 15 will be elected from producer-member representative groups one to five, with three directors chosen from each group. One seat is reserved for ‘B’ class cooperative producers, non-producer institutions and marketing institutions. The remaining five seats include two for women, one for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, one for the Other Backward Classes, and one for nomadic tribes, denotified tribes and special backward classes.
The contest is being closely watched in the cooperative sector and political circles because the factory’s area extends across two districts and four talukas. Baramati and Purandar are in Pune district, while Khandala and Phaltan are in Satara district. The result will determine the leadership structure of the sugar cooperative and its administrative direction for the next five years.
Polling will be followed by counting on Monday, October 12, from 9 am. The counting has been arranged at Ajanta Majestic Banquet Hall in Malegaon Budruk on the Nira-Baramati road. The administration has appointed 450 employees for the process, while police personnel will be deployed at the counting centre.
The number of seats won by each panel and the influence of the independent candidates will become clear after counting. The administration has appealed to voters, candidates and campaign workers to cooperate in ensuring that polling and counting are conducted peacefully and smoothly.
