A cooperative titan IFFCO with the largest number of co-op societies within its fold is likely to undertake a gigantic exercise of electing a new RGB and a new Board by May this year. While the process of electing the 1000 delegate strong RGB is already underway, 21 Directors would be elected in May.
The most notable highlight of this election is, however, the fact that it is probably the first and the only cooperative in the country which is going to elect 50 women cooperators in its RGB (Representative General Body), elections which are currently underway in its 35282 co-op societies spread across India.
“Yes you have got it right we have made 5% reservation for the women cooperator this time”, confirmed IFFCO’s MD Dr U S Awasthi on the phone to this correspondent. As usual, there are 1000 delegates in the RGB, our rough estimate is that there would be 50 women delegates in the IFFCO’s RGB this time, said Awasthi adding these women cooperators would finally elect a women Director to the IFFCO Board, again a first in the history of the co-operative movement in the country.
The IFFCO board in its meeting last month on February 14 resolved to hold elections and also decided on the name of R D Agrawal, Senior Advocate and a former judge as the Returning Officer. The necessary amendments for the women participation were earlier carried through.
The election process has begun in right earnest. It is expected that the results and the subsequent constitution of RGB would be completed by March 28, said Tarun Bhargava, Joint GM of IFFCO who has been entrusted with the job of overseeing the biggest co-op election exercise in the country. “Our MD sahib is very clear that there would be neither any nomination nor any co-option but only election”, said Bhargava.
PACS, district level co-ops, state level federations-all are going to find representation in the IFFCO RGB, added Tarun Bhargava. Elections would be conducted strictly according to the MSCS Act and IFFCO Bylaws, he added.
The elections would throw up 21 Directors- 8 from Federations and remaining 12 from the zones which have been made combining different states including north-east and southern most states of the country. One seat would go to a woman candidate this time. IFFCO’s officials claim that one can expect at least one delegate from every state.
Though there are 28 state federations which are part of IFFCO. Only those which have share capital of Rs 2 crore and which sell 2 lac metric tonnes of IFFCO fertilizer per anum can be a board member, explained Bhargava showing the broad sheet of computerized data achieved through the application of some advanced software. “We have computer based and technology-oriented elections”, said Bharagava with a gleam in his eye.
After the constitution of the RGB, the cooperative behemoth would elect a new Board and a new Chairman and Vice-Chairman just before the AGM in the first week of May.
For more news on IFFCO elections, stay tuned to www.indiancooperative.com
