Latur, Nov 8 (PTI) Mahayuti allies BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena on Sunday put up a united front to contest the upcoming Latur District Central Co-operative Bank (DCCB) elections in Maharashtra, alleging that the bank had benefited a particular family instead of supporting farmers.
The alliance is fighting the elections under the banner of the Rayateche Raje Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Parivartan Panel and will face the Congress-backed Sahkar Panel in the November 15 polls.
The bank, which has 19 directors on its board, has been under Congress control. A total of 30 candidates are in the fray, of whom four have already been elected unopposed.
Addressing a press conference here, Mahayuti leaders said they had come together to ensure that the bank prioritised farmers’ interests.
Those present included BJP district president and MLC Baswaraj Patil, former minister and MLA Sambhajirao Patil Nilangekar, MLAs Sanjay Bansode and Ramesha Karad, and former minister Vinayakrao Patil.
Nilangekar alleged that the bank’s ruling side was attempting to create confusion through personal attacks instead of debating its performance and farmers’ issues.
Karad alleged that the bank had failed to provide financial stability to farmers over the past 25 years and had instead helped a single family consolidate its financial position. He also questioned the alleged sanctioning of loans worth crores of rupees to Desh Agro, controlled by the family of late chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, within a month.
However, the Mahayuti has already suffered a setback, with Maharashtra Cooperation Minister and NCP leader Babasaheb Patil aligning with the Congress in the Latur DCCB elections. Earlier, he had accused Nilangekar of being responsible for weakening the Mahayuti in the previous local body elections in Latur district. PTI COR NR
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