BJP's Shankar Chaudhary re-elected as Asia's largest dairy cooperative chairman

UPDATED: Oct 26, 2025 23:31 IST

Gujarat Assembly Speaker and BJP MLA from Tharad, Shankar Chaudhary, has been re-elected unopposed as the chairman of Banas Dairy, Asia’s largest dairy cooperative, for the third consecutive term. The board of directors also approved the name of Bhavabhai Rabari for the post of vice-chairman. Both will serve a tenure of two and a half years.

Of the 16 board seats, 15 were filled unopposed, while the Danta seat saw a contest between three candidates after two withdrew their nominations. The BJP-backed candidate ultimately won the seat. Following this, the newly constituted board met and elected the chairman and vice-chairman unopposed.

Chaudhary thanked the dairy’s 3.76 lakh member farmers, crediting them for the institution’s success. “It is with the cooperation of millions of cattle farmers that Banas Dairy has achieved new heights. Our goal is to take it to the global level,” he said.

Founded by the late Galabhai Nanjibhai Patel, Banas Dairy has grown into a cooperative spanning eight states, empowering thousands of rural women. The dairy’s annual turnover exceeds Rs 20,000 crore, with Rs 35 crore deposited daily in the accounts of cattle rearers. Under Chaudhary’s leadership, the dairy has adopted extensive digital systems and launched a “sweet revolution” through the production of 350 tonnes of honey. The dairy’s farmers have also established India’s first medical college run by cattle rearers.

Chaudhary, a prominent OBC leader in the Gujarat BJP, has served as an MLA five times since first being elected in 1998 at the age of 28. He has also held roles as Minister of State in Anandiben Patel’s cabinet, State BJP Yuva Morcha president, and State general secretary. With his re-election, Chaudhary is set to continue focusing on cooperation, innovation, and farmer welfare in his new term.

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