PUNE, 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 only leading the ruling Nilkantheshwar panel but has also announced that he will become chairman if the panel retains power. "If I become chairman while also holding the post of deputy chief minister, I can ensure more funds and accelerated development for farmers," Pawar said at one of his many campaign meetings across the constituency. He has addressed over ten such gatherings, underscoring how seriously he is taking this contest. This is the first time since 1985 that Ajit Pawar is personally contesting the election to the factory's board. His close aides say he is concerned that the split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) may benefit his main rival, Chandrarao Tawre, who heads the Sahakar Bachav panel. "Losing control of the factory would send the wrong signal and weaken Ajit Pawar's hold over the cooperative sector in Baramati," said a source close to him. Tawre, once considered close to Sharad Pawar, has mounted a direct challenge. "Instead of aspiring to become chief minister, Ajit Pawar is contesting for a sugar mill-a demotion," Tawre said. "He wants to control everything-be MLA, minister, and chairman." A third panel in the fray-Baliraja Sahakar Bachav-has been fielded by the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), with Yugendra Pawar actively campaigning for it. The Pawar-versus-Pawar dimension has added another layer of intrigue to the race. Speaking earlier this week, Sharad Pawar remarked that he would have preferred a consensus panel. "Had there been an effort to take everyone along, this situation could have been avoided. But let bygones be bygones," he said. Before the NCP split in 2023, the Nilkantheshwar panel alone represented the Pawar family on the board. In the 2019 election, it defeated Tawre's panel to take control of the mill. The current contest is a triangular fight, and more fractured than before. A total of 593 nominations were filed for the 21 board seats. After scrutiny, 503 were deemed valid, and 90 candidates are now in the fray. Of the total 19,651 voters, 19,549 belong to Group A-sugarcane cultivators from the region-and 102 are from Group B, representing various cooperative bodies. Ajit Pawar has filed his nomination from Group B. The results will be announced on June 24. For Ajit Pawar, the stakes are far greater than control of a factory-they involve retaining his influence over Baramati's cooperative backbone, which has long powered his rise in Maharashtra politics....