The election process for the 11 seats on the Board of Directors of Kribhco, India’s second-largest fertilizer cooperative, is unfolding with significant developments. On Saturday evening, the list of valid nominations was released, revealing that seven of the 11 seats have been decided unopposed due to the absence of rival candidates.
The constituencies where candidates have been elected unopposed include Constituency I, where R Rajendra emerged victorious, Constituency II with Bipin Patel, Constituency III with Bijendra Singh, Constituency IV with Kabita Parida, Constituency VII with Maganbhai Vadaviya, Constituency VIII with V Sudhakar Chowdary, and Constituency IX with Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat.
These uncontested victories have simplified the election process for a majority of the board seats. The election is slated from 5th January 2025.
A notable development during the scrutiny process was the cancellation of Sahakar Bharati leader Rama Shankar Jaiswal’s nomination in Constituency IV. His nomination was rejected on the grounds of a missing proposer. This paved the way for Kabita Parida, a prominent cooperator and the State Secretary of Biju Mahila Janata Dal, to secure an uncontested victory from this constituency.
The remaining four seats, however, may witness contests, with the final list of candidates to be published on December 24, 2024, at 5:00 PM. The elections for these seats are scheduled for January 5, 2025.
Dr. Chandra Pal Singh Yadav, the outgoing President and a senior cooperator, has filed nominations from two constituencies—Constituency VI and Constituency XI. Both of his nominations were found valid during scrutiny. In Constituency VI, he faces opposition from Tejpal Singh, while in Constituency XI, Ms. Shilpi Arora, a cooperator from Uttarakhand, has filed her nomination against him.
Speculation is rife that Tejpal Singh may withdraw his nomination from Constituency VI, paving the way for Yadav’s unopposed victory. Similarly, there is talk that Yadav might withdraw from Constituency XI to allow Shilpi Arora to join the board as a director.
In Constituency V, Bhikhabhai Patel and Paresh Patel are the contenders, and the situation remains uncertain with 35 elected delegates from this constituency yet to decide the outcome. Efforts to contact Paresh Patel could not succeed.
Meanwhile, Constituency X is witnessing a three-way contest among Narinder Kumar Bhadu, Ajay Rai, and Gurupartap Singh. With 76 elected delegates in this constituency, the picture remains unclear until further developments.
An interesting twist in this election cycle is the absence of Sunil Kumar Singh, a prominent cooperator from Bihar and an outgoing board director. He has chosen not to file his nomination this time, fuelling speculation that he may be co-opted as a director post-elections.