Bhatol elected again as GCMMF chief

The Banas dairy chief and current chairman of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), Parthi Bhatol, was on Friday unanimously elected GCMMF chairman for a second 3-year term. The federation, which has a turnover of over Rs6700 crore, is the apex body of 13 district milk unions in the state.

“We are here to work for the interest of farmers,” Bhatol told media persons after his re-election. “We will cooperate with each other and work for the uplift of farmers.”

Bhatol’s victory continues the tradition of unanimous election of GCMMF chairman established by Dr Verghese Kurien. In fact, Bhatol had become GCMMF chairman for the first time after Kurien’s exit from the federation in 2006.

At the GCMMF board meeting at Anand on Friday, the chairman of the Mehsana district milk union (Dudhsagar dairy), Vipul Chaudhary, who was himself in the race for the top post, proposed Bhatol’s name. His proposal was seconded by Kaira district union (Amul dairy) chairman Ramsinh Parmar.

How important the battle for the post of GCMMF chairman was for the ruling BJP is apparent from the fact that that several top BJP leaders of the state were camping in Anand during the election.
The leaders included agriculture and co-operative minister Dilip Sanghani, minister of state for home Amit Shah, and former agriculture minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama.