India, June 22 -- The upcoming election to the board of the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill in Baramati-scheduled for Sunday-has become a high-stakes political contest, drawing attention far beyond its 19,000-member electorate. At the centre of it is deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who is contesting a sugar mill election for the first time in nearly four decades.

Located in Baramati, the Pawar family's stronghold, the Malegaon factory has around 19,000 sugarcane-producing shareholders. Considered one of the most financially sound cooperatives in the state, it offers among the highest procurement rates for sugarcane- Rs.3,636 per tonne last year-making it central to both the local economy and political clout in the region.

Pawar is not...