The election for the Bihar State Cooperative Marketing Union (BISCOMAUN) has been announced and will take place on December 16, 2024. The event has drawn significant media attention, largely due to the ongoing friction between outgoing Chairman Sunil Kumar Singh and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
This follows a previously scheduled election that was stalled due to ambiguities related to the federation’s revised bye-laws, which were earlier rejected by the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS).
After the ambiguities, the Union Ministry of Cooperation appointed Kanhaya Prasad Shrivastava as the administrator to manage the affairs of BISCOMAUN.
Before the appointment of the administrator, BISCOMAUN was led by Sunil Kumar Singh, a well-known cooperator from Bihar and a prominent figure in Delhi’s cooperative circles. Singh, a staunch leader of the RJD, had served as the Chairman of the union.
According to a fresh order issued by the Cooperative Election Authority (CEA) under the Union Ministry of Cooperation, the District Magistrate of Patna has been appointed as the Returning Officer (RO) to conduct the upcoming elections. The RO is authorized to propose the appointment of an adequate number of Assistant Returning Officers (ARO) to assist in the election process.
A total of 1,641 regular members or delegates are eligible to participate in the elections. The formal election process will commence on 16th November 2024, with candidates able to file their nominations between 6th and 9th December 2024.
The scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on 10th December 2024, and candidates will have the opportunity to withdraw their nominations on either 11th or 12th December 2024. The final list of candidates will be published on 12th December, and the polling is scheduled for 16th December 2024.
Vote counting is set to take place on 17th December 2024, with the official results being declared after approval from the Cooperative Election Authority on 20th December 2024. Elections for the office bearers, including the positions of Chairman and Vice-Chairman, will be conducted on 23rd December 2024, pending final approval from the authority.
The outgoing Chairman Sunil Kumar Singh will not be able to contest for the Chairman’s post again, as he has completed two terms and the rules governing multi-state cooperative societies prohibit a third consecutive term as Chairman. He, however is well poised to elect a candidate of his choice, said a source.