In a significant move, Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh has stalled the process of the elections for the Board of Directors of the Bihar Marketing Cooperative Federation, known as Biscomaun, which is currently led by the outgoing Chairman Sunil Kumar Singh. The postponement comes amidst uncertainties surrounding the federation’s bye-laws.
DM Singh issued an order and proposed to the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) to cancel the upcoming Biscomaun elections. The flamboyant Chairman of Biscomaun, Sunil Kumar Singh, is an MLC from the RJD quota and a known supporter of Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The primary reason cited for this action is the ambiguity regarding the federation’s revised bye-laws, which were previously rejected by the CRCS. As a result, the election delay will remain effective until further notice.
During a media interaction, DM Singh said that the Biscomaun election process was being conducted on revised bye-laws, even when these revisions were not approved by the CRCS.
Historically, Biscomaun’s board comprised 17 elected directors and four nominated directors. But this time, the bylaws revision permitted elections of 21 directors. Since Biscomaun is a multistate co-op body, the amendment in bylaws must get approved by the Central Registrar.
Sadly, for the Biscomaun leaders, the proposal to amend the bye-laws to allow elections for all 21 directors was sent to the CRCS is yet to receive CRCS approval.
The District Magistrate stressed the need for clear regulations before any elections can take place. If the elections are to be held, they should either follow newly established rules or proceed with explicit instructions under the old regulations. Without such clarity, the elections will remain on hold.
This marks the second postponement of Biscomaun’s elections. Initially scheduled for June 10th, the elections were first postponed to July 10th. However, the new election date remains undetermined.
The delay was announced shortly after the filing of nomination papers, adding to the uncertainty about when the elections will eventually be conducted.
This ongoing postponement highlights the administrative and regulatory challenges facing the Biscomaun elections.