Gokul Milk Union election: social media accusations go viral, Kolhapur politics heats up

As the election of the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers Union, known as Gokul Milk Union, draws closer, its political battle has moved straight onto social media. Infighting within the Mahayuti over the Gokul election, and a war of words between Mahayuti and Mahavikas Aghadi leaders, has further heated up the contest. Accusations and counter-accusations on social media have reached their sharpest level yet in this campaign.

A series of posts alleging mismanagement by two prominent Gokul Milk Union leaders has been deliberately made to go viral on social media platforms. This digital battle is directly targeting political events from the past several decades. Leaders who worked together for nearly 35 years, and who broke away in the last five years to grow close to Mahavikas Aghadi leaders, are facing sharp comments on their political journeys.

Factions considered bitter political rivals are targeting these same two prominent leaders, raising serious questions about their conduct. A whole series of videos, messages and posts based on alleged irregularities, decisions and internal political equations at Gokul is being released on social media. This time, campaigning for the Gokul election has gone beyond public meetings to include exposing each other's secrets on social media.

Issues that cannot be raised openly to target rivals in the state assembly and Lok Sabha elections are now surfacing through social media. The Gokul Milk Union election process is currently under way, and the role of those proposing candidates is considered crucial in this election. This is why every faction needs people to propose candidates, and political maneuvering is under way on social media in the meantime.

State Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif, Congress MLA Satej Patil, former Gokul chairman Arun Dongale, Vishwas Patil and Rajya Sabha MP Dhananjay Mahadik are being targeted heavily on social media by unidentified persons. These posts and videos are raising questions about both the leaders' political careers and Gokul's functioning.

The accusations and counter-accusations circulating on social media have once again brought Gokul's affairs of the past several years under discussion. Events at Gokul over the past 35 years are being placed before milk producers through social media. Notably, directors who backed certain leaders in the last five years are now being targeted with accusations on social media rather than open, direct criticism.