Battle For Cooperatives

An internal rift is causing major friction within Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) as Chairman Sudhakar Chowdary nears the end of his first year in office. A source says that disagreements between the leadership and the board of directors have stalled critical organizational initiatives, causing overall operations to suffer. For years, former Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament Chandra Pal Yadav maintained substantial influence over the cooperative, the source says. However, during the September 2025 elections, his control was challenged by Sudhakar Chowdary, who had the political backing of former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, according to a source.

A source says the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister helped persuade a top BJP leader to endorse Chowdary's candidature. The senior leader subsequently convened a meeting with all ten board members to request their support for Chowdary as president, a source says.

In response, all ten board members reportedly asked the senior leader to appoint any of the existing board members to the post rather than pushing Chowdary's name, the source says. Following a tense silence, the senior leader pressed the issue, asking what their stance would be if he insisted solely on Chowdary for the presidency, a source says. The board members offered no further resistance and ultimately voted for Chowdary, according to a source. KRIBHCO’s day-to-day work continues to suffer due to this ongoing lack of mutual understanding and alignment between the president and board members, the source says.