The counting of votes for the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Factory election 2025 began on Tuesday morning, June 24, with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar securing a decisive victory in the Class B category. The counting is still underway at the administrative building of the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Factory in Baramati district. The first round of counting focused on the Class B representative seat, for which Ajit Pawar was a candidate.
99% voter turnout was recorded in this category. As expected, Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar, dominated the Sugar mills polls, receiving 91 out of 101 votes. The opposition Co-operative Rescue Panel managed only 10 votes. Following the announcement, members and supporters celebrated Pawar’s victory with great enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, anticipation is building over who will ultimately take charge of the Malegaon factory. The battle for control has attracted attention beyond Baramati, with political significance being compared to Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections due to the prestige involved.
"This election carries more weight than even the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, it’s a matter of prestige," Ajit Pawar had earlier said. Supporters, celebrating early victories, were seen puting gulal on each other at several places. The high voter turnout has added to the suspense of who will emerge victorious—Ajit Pawar-led Neelkantheshwar Panel, Sharad Pawar’s Baliraja Sahakar Bachao Panel, or Chandrarao Taware’s Cooperative Rescue Panel. The role of the Working Farmers’ Committee and other smaller groups will also be critical in determining the final outcome.
Voters from influential families bearing surnames such as Taware, Jagtap, Gawde, Kate, Deokate, Kokre, Burungle, Gofane, Atole, Pondkule, Khalate, Yele, Dhavan, Saste, Nimbalkar, and Dhumal are said to play a key role, with speculation around whether they voted consistently within their chosen panels.
The counting began at 9 am in the parking area of the administration and engineering building. After Class B, votes will be counted for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Nomadic Tribes, Women's Reserved Representatives, and representatives from Malegaon, Pandare, Sangavi, Neeravagaj and Baramati.
A total of 34 counting centres have been set up, with each assigned to a dedicated table. Table 34 has been reserved for Class B vote counting. To maintain order during the process, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Dr. Sudarshan Rathod confirmed that 250 police officers and personnel have been deployed at the counting centre.