While the final list of candidates after scrutiny in the Nafed elections was made public Tuesday evening, indications are that behind-the-scene negotiations would ensure there is no voting on May 23rd.
Indian Cooperative has gathered that the names of Board members have already been decided but there prevails confusion about the posts of Chairman and Vice-Chairman. Both Vaghji and Bijender nurse the ambition for the top job, creating trouble for Chandra Pal Singh who has to strike a fine-balance.
“Wait and watch as by today evening all the names will be cleared and there will be no voting on May 23rd”, said a source adding that withdrawal papers are submitted along with nominations by those who remote control these elections. . One such case is going to be that of Vishal Singh, against whom Ram Kalevar Singh has offered himself as a challenger. “Ram Kalevar would withdraw before the election; take it from me”, the source said confidently.
Meanwhile, all the 10 candidates from Federations have been elected unopposed which include Sunil Singh and Dileep Sanghani. Those adeclared elected unopposed also include Bijendra Singh from Delhi State Coop. M & S fed and Chandra Pal Singh Yadav from Bundelkhand Krishi Utpadan Vipnan Sahakari Samiti (Bankus) UP.
Talking to Indian Cooperative correspondent on the phone K.K.Ravindran, Returning officer said, “34 nominations were filed but during scrutiny nominations papers of several candidates were rejected. Now 19 candidates are left in the fray before withdrawal that takes place on 22nd May i.e. today”, he informed.
After analyzing the list, Indian Cooperative found that there are more than one candidates in the race from Central, Eastern, Northern and Western Zones. But it has also gathered that the challengers would withdraw at the appropriate time and there would be no voting. A southern zone candidate Siby J. Manipally from Manipally Mktg. Coop. Society (Kerala) has been elected unopposed.
Readers would note that there are 429 members eligible to cast their votes during the election. Thousands of cooperative societies are associated with Nafed. The board is comprised of 21 directors.
The board shall consist of; one nominee each of the State Level General Purpose Cooperative Marketing Federations excluding UTs admitted under bye law 4 (a)(i) which has contributed at least Rs 50 lakh individually as equity through admission/additional contribution, one director if eligible from North Eastern states including Sikkim and apex level marketing societies of the Union Territories registered under bye law 4 (a)(ii) to be elected on the basis of the criteria laid down at (a) above.
One director is to be elected by members admitted under bye-laws 4(a)(iii), seven directors by members admitted under bye law 4 (a)(iv) from amongst themselves. There will be one nominee of the Government of India and one nominee of the National Cooperative Consumers Federation.
There are five zones- Maharashtra and Gujarat fall in Western Zone, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh fall in Northern zone. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Pondicherry, Lakshadweep and Goa states come in Southern Zone and Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh in Central Zone.
The last zone i.e. Eastern Zone is comprised of West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar, Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand state.
(With inputs from Rohit Gupta)
