Maharashtra govt postpones cooperative society polls in 304 drought-affected talukas to prioritise relief

The Maharashtra government has postponed elections to most cooperative societies in droughtaffected districts citing the need to prioritise relief operations and prevent administrative staff from being diverted from urgent drought mitigation workThe decision was announced through a Government Resolution GR issued by the Cooperation Department late Tuesday night The order takes immediate effect and suspends eligible cooperative society elections at their current stages until further notice subject to specified exemptionsThe government said the decision was taken in view of widespread drought conditions affecting the 2026 Kharif season and the need to provide relief to farmers and rural communitiesDrought conditions reported in 304 talukasAccording to the GR initial assessments under the Drought Management Code 2016 and reports from the Commissioner of Agriculture identified Trigger1 conditions in 265 talukas Subsequent assessments incorporating Trigger1 and Trigger2 indicators increased the number of droughtaffected talukas to 304 across MaharashtraSeveral departments including Revenue Agriculture Animal Husbandry Cooperation Rural Development and Water Supply are engaged in relief and mitigation work in the affected areasThe government said continuing electionrelated activities would divert officials and administrative personnel from these responsibilities It also noted that participation in the election process could cause considerable inconvenience to farmers and cooperative society members dealing with droughtrelated hardshipsExemptions provided for certain cooperative societiesThe order provides exemptions for cooperative housing societies societies where the High Court or Supreme Court has specifically directed that elections be conducted and societies where the nomination stage had already begun before the GR was issuedThe government has not announced a common revised election date for the affected societies Elections covered by the postponement will remain suspended under the order until further instructions subject to the stated exemptionsDCCB elections in Ahilyanagar and Satara affectedThe postponement has also affected elections to District Central Cooperative Banks DCCBs which play an important role in rural credit and agricultural financeIn Ahilyanagar 11 of the bankrsquos 21 seats had already been filled unopposed while elections for the remaining 10 seats were pending In Satara nine of the 21 seats had been filled unopposed leaving 12 seats to be contestedGovernment said elections to the remaining seats in both banks had been postponed for six months The status of the seats already filled unopposed remains distinct from the postponed contestsDrought relief measures announced for farmersThe state government has previously announced relief measures for the 304 droughtaffected talukas through Government Resolutions dated September 25 and October 14 These include restructuring crop loans suspending agricultural loan recoveries waiving current electricity bills for agricultural pumps supplying drinking water through tankers ensuring fodder availability for livestock and expanding employment opportunities under the Employment Guarantee SchemeSeparately the state cabinet on Tuesday approved an advance payment of Rs 5000 each for nearly 15 crore eligible farmers in droughthit talukas before Diwali The government has allocated Rs 7500 crore for the assistance which will be transferred directly to beneficiariesrsquo bank accounts Farmers whose crops have suffered damage exceeding 33 per cent will be eligible for the paymentWith inputs from IANS