Surat: The prolonged uncertainty over the leadership of Sumul Dairy ended on Friday with the election of former Gujarat minister and ex-MLA from Songadh, Kanti Gamit, as chairperson. Bharatsinh Solanki was elected vice chairperson.The appointments came after more than two months of delays caused by differences among elected directors and BJP leaders. In the Sumul management committee elections held on July 17, BJP-backed candidates secured 15 of the 16 seats, giving them a clear majority. However, disagreements over the top posts prevented the leadership from being finalised.Meetings convened to decide the chairperson and vice chairperson were postponed twice after consensus could not be reached.The eventual appointments are being viewed as an effort to bridge differences between the two groups within Sumul and bring greater cohesion to the dairy’s leadership. Gamit’s elevation also brings a political and cooperative balance to the leadership of one of South Gujarat’s major dairy institutions.The development assumes added significance with the next Gujarat assembly elections about a year away. A large proportion of Sumul’s milk producers are from tribal communities, giving the cooperative considerable influence across South Gujarat’s tribal belt.Gamit, a prominent tribal leader, taking charge of the cooperative could therefore have wider political significance in the region, particularly as political parties seek to strengthen their engagement with tribal communities ahead of the elections.
