Gandhinagar: As Gujarat gears up for major civic elections in January, including general elections to 15 municipal corporations, over 81 municipalities, 33 district panchayats, and more than 260 taluka panchayats — the political heat has already begun rising with the announcement of elections to various cooperative institutions across the state.

The recent elections of the Urban Cooperative Bank in Mehsana and the earlier APMC polls in Unjha witnessed internal clashes among BJP factions, signaling potential political turbulence ahead. A similar scenario may unfold in the upcoming elections for 33 cooperative institutions over the next two to three months.

Elections have already been declared this month for 7 milk producer unions, including Banas, Madhur, and Amul, along with 12 Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs). Over the past five years, the BJP has tightened its grip over Gujarat’s entire cooperative sector, gaining control of key milk unions, APMCs, purchase and sales unions, sugar and cotton industry boards, and cooperative banks.

In August, elections are expected to be announced for dairy unions in Anand, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Amreli, Surendranagar, and Banaskantha. Additionally, polls will be held for APMCs in Padra, Dabhoi, Morva, Talaja, Bhatia, Sayla, Dahod, Garbada, Modasa, Vadgam, Amirgarh, Danta, Mandvi (Kutch), Mundra, and Umarpada.

Furthermore, elections for purchase and sales unions in four districts, including Mehsana, are also set to be declared soon.

These intense political contests in the cooperative sector are widely seen as a precursor to the upcoming municipal and panchayat elections — regarded as a litmus test ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections in 2027. DeshGujarat