Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule has backed the ongoing agitation in Kolhapur over the Gokul cooperative controversy, saying senior leader Sharad Pawar is closely monitoring developments and receiving regular updates on the situation.Questioning the Maharashtra government’s decision to appoint four members to the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union despite the victory of the panel led by Congress leader Satej Patil, Sule questioned the move to take control of the institution and expressed solidarity with Kolhapur residents and milk producers demanding their rightful dues.In a post on X, Sule questioned the rationale behind the government’s insistence on securing control of Gokul despite the electoral success of the panel led by Patil. She said the institution represented the interests of thousands of milk producers and that their democratic mandate and rightful share should not be overlooked.“After the election results for the ‘Gokul’ Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union, the government decided to appoint four members. In this election, the panel led by Congress leader Satej Patil has established an undisputed dominance. Yet the insistence on taking control of this institution under any circumstances is incomprehensible,” Sule said.She also shared a video of NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar watching developments related to the Gokul controversy.Sule said Sharad Pawar was keeping a close watch on the situation and receiving regular updates. She also extended support to the protest being held by Kolhapur residents and Gokul’s milk-producing farmers.“Respected Pawar Saheb is keeping a close watch on all these developments and receiving updates at every moment. We support the struggle being waged by the people of Kolhapur and Gokul’s milk-producing farmers for their rightful due,” she said.’गोकुळ’ दूध उत्पादक सहकारी संघाच्या निवडणुक निकालानंतर शासनाने चार सदस्य नेमण्याचा निर्णय घेतला. या निवडणुकीत काँग्रेसचे नेते सतेज पाटील (@satejp) यांच्या नेतृत्वाखालील पॅनेलने निर्विवाद वर्चस्व प्रस्थापित केले आहे. पण तरीही ही संस्था कोणत्याही परिस्थितीत ताब्यात घ्यायची हा हट्ट अनाकलनीय आहे. याविरोधात कोल्हापूरच्या जनतेने दसरा चौकात जमा होऊन विरोध दर्शवला आहे. या सर्व घडामोडींवर आदरणीय पवार साहेब लक्ष ठेवून असून क्षणाक्षणाची अपडेट घेत आहेत. कोल्हापूरच्या जनता आणि गोकुळचे दूध उत्पादक शेतकरी आपल्या न्याय हक्कासाठी करीत असलेल्या संघर्षाला आमचा पाठिंबा आहे.— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) November 9, 2026Earlier on Monday, thousands of protesters, including members of farmers’ groups and leaders of various political parties, participated in a march against the state government’s decision to appoint directors to the Gokul cooperative.Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had also accused the BJP of changing the rules after the elections to undermine the winning panel’s majority. He had termed the move “theft of milk producers’ votes”.The election to Gokul’s 25-member board was held on October 19. The Congress-backed panel won 13 seats, while the BJP-led alliance secured 12.The Maharashtra Cabinet subsequently approved a proposal to nominate four government directors with voting rights to the board, triggering a political controversy.