The election process for the 11-member Board of Directors of Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) is reaching its final stages, with the delegate election from nearly 9,600 member cooperatives nearing completion.
The official delegate voter list will be published on December 16, 2024, ahead of the main board election scheduled for December 29, 2024.
Outgoing Chairman Dr. Chandra Pal Singh Yadav, along with several board members, has been re-elected unopposed as a delegate. However, some incumbent directors may face a more difficult re-election this year.
Outgoing directors Bijendra Singh and Sunil Kumar Singh, who previously represented Nafed and Biscomaun, respectively, may encounter challenges due to recent leadership changes at Nafed and the absence of an active board at Biscomaun.
Both have been, however, re-elected as delegates representing societies with share capital between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 1 crore.
The 2024 KRIBHCO election introduces some changes from the 2020 election, reflecting adjustments in by-laws and constituency structuring.
There are four constituencies: member societies with less than Rs 5 lakh in share capital, those with Rs 5 lakh to under Rs 1 crore, societies with over Rs 1 crore, and state marketing federations.
Approximately 650 delegates from these constituencies will vote to elect the board’s 11 directors.
South Delhi’s District Magistrate has been appointed as the Returning Officer to oversee the election process, with 9,673 societies eligible to participate.
Nomination filings will occur from December 17 to 20, with scrutiny on December 21, and the final candidate list announced on December 24. Polling will take place on December 29, with immediate vote counting, and results confirmed by the Cooperative Election Authority on January 1, 2025.
Elections for office bearers, including Chairman and Vice-Chairman, are set for January 3, 2025. The current Chairman, Dr. Yadav, is ineligible for a third consecutive term under multi-state cooperative rules.
KRIBHCO’s board features representatives from various political affiliations, including the Samajwadi Party, BJP, Congress, and RJD. In the 2023-24 fiscal year, KRIBHCO achieved a significant gross profit of Rs 334 crore.