The change of guard in Maharashtra based Bassein Catholic Cooperative Bank has meant Benauld Patrick Dias is elected as the new Chairman of the bank, in an election held on Thursday.
The election was held for the lone post of Chairman because last month Ryan Fernandes gave his resignation from the top post.
“I had made the commitment to the board members in the last election that was held last year that I would be the Chairman for one year only and that commitment stood fulfilled. I had given my resignation last month”, said Fernandes.
In the election of Chairman, Dias received 11 votes while his opposition candidate Sandeep Gonsalves got 10 votes. The voters in the election were 21 directors of the board of the Bank.
Talking to the Indian Cooperative correspondent soon after the election Dias said, “I will work together with other management members to take the bank to newer heights”, he added.
There is no change in the Vice-Chairman post.
It bears recalling that in the last election of Chairman held last year, Fernandes had got 13 votes while his rival Brian Furtado received 7 seven votes. At that time, the three independent winners in the election of board directors, were in support of Ryan but now they supported the Onil Almeida group, from which Dias contested the Chairman election.