The leadership uncertainty at Sumul Dairy has ended with the election of former Gujarat minister and former Songadh MLA Kanti Gamit as chairperson. Bharatsinh Solanki was elected vice chairperson, bringing an end to more than two months of delays over the appointment of the cooperative’s top leadership.
The appointments followed disagreements among elected directors and BJP leaders after the Sumul management committee elections held on July 17. BJP-backed candidates won 15 of the 16 seats, giving them a clear majority on the committee. However, differences over the chairperson and vice chairperson positions delayed the formation of the new leadership.
Two meetings called to finalise the appointments were postponed after the members failed to reach a consensus. The eventual selection of Gamit and Solanki resolves the immediate leadership impasse and allows the cooperative to move forward with a formally constituted management team.
Gamit Takes Charge as Chairperson
Kanti Gamit, a prominent tribal leader and former Gujarat minister, will now lead Sumul Dairy, one of the major cooperative dairy institutions serving South Gujarat.
His appointment comes after a prolonged period in which disagreements over leadership prevented the cooperative from finalising its top positions. Bharatsinh Solanki has been appointed vice chairperson alongside him.
The new leadership assumes responsibility at a significant time for the cooperative, which has a large network of milk producers across South Gujarat. A substantial portion of Sumul’s producer base comes from tribal communities in the region.
Election Results Set the Stage for Leadership Dispute
The Sumul management committee election on July 17 resulted in BJP-backed candidates securing 15 of the 16 available seats. Despite the clear majority, the distribution of the top leadership positions became a point of disagreement among the elected directors and political leaders associated with the cooperative.
The inability to reach an agreement resulted in two postponements of meetings intended to elect the chairperson and vice chairperson.
The eventual appointments have ended the immediate deadlock and established a new leadership structure for the cooperative.
Importance for South Gujarat’s Dairy Cooperative Network
Sumul Dairy has an important role in South Gujarat’s cooperative dairy ecosystem, particularly because of its large base of milk producers.
The appointment of Gamit is notable because of his background as a tribal leader and his political experience in the region. The cooperative’s producer network extends across areas where tribal communities form a significant part of the rural population.
With Gamit now heading the institution, the cooperative’s leadership combines political experience with its established producer-oriented cooperative structure.
Focus on Dairy Operations
With the leadership issue resolved, the new management committee can turn its attention to the operational priorities facing Sumul and its milk producers.
For a dairy cooperative, leadership stability can be important for managing procurement, farmer services, milk processing, product distribution and relationships with producer societies.
The cooperative’s ability to maintain consistent milk procurement and support its producer base will remain central to its operations as the dairy sector faces broader challenges involving animal productivity, feed costs, climate conditions and changing consumer demand.
The appointment also provides an opportunity for the newly constituted leadership to focus on the long-term development of Sumul’s dairy network and its producer communities.
New Leadership Takes Charge
The election of Kanti Gamit as chairperson and Bharatsinh Solanki as vice chairperson brings a close to the leadership uncertainty that followed the July management committee elections.
The development establishes a new leadership team at one of South Gujarat’s prominent dairy cooperatives after more than two months of delays. The focus will now shift from internal leadership selection to the cooperative’s operations, milk producers and future dairy-sector priorities.
The appointments were reported on September 26, 2026, following the election held on Friday.