BJP Tussle Delays Sumul Dairy President, VP Selection

SURAT :  The BJP’s decisive takeover of the Sumul Dairy board has triggered an internal power struggle over the two top posts, with the selection of the president and vice president postponed for the second consecutive time amid a lack of consensus within the party.

The BJP-backed panel secured 15 of the 19 director seats, effectively pushing Congress out of the dairy’s board. However, despite the electoral victory, the party has been unable to reach an agreement on who should occupy the top positions.

The managing committee elections were held during the 75th Amrit Mahotsav year of Sumul Dairy. Seven seats were won uncontested, while voting was held for nine seats. Of these, eight went to the BJP-backed panel, with only the Mahuva seat being won by an independent candidate.

With the board firmly in BJP hands, lobbying has intensified among different groups within the party for their preferred candidates. The competing claims have reportedly delayed the state-level BJP mandate needed to finalise the appointments.

The battle assumes greater significance because of Sumul Dairy’s enormous economic footprint. The dairy has an annual turnover of around ₹7,500 crore and procures nearly 22 lakh litres of milk every day. Its daily milk sales stand at approximately 12.75 lakh litres.

The organisation is directly connected with around 2.5 lakh cattle farmers across Surat and Tapi districts, making control over its leadership politically and economically significant.

The absence of a consensus has therefore created an unusual situation: the BJP has secured a commanding majority on the board but remains unable to settle the leadership question.

The repeated postponement has also fuelled speculation within party circles over competing factions and the eventual choice for the influential positions. A final decision is expected once the state leadership resolves the internal differences and issues its mandate.