Elections For Over 29,000 Cooperative Societies In Maharashtra Likely To Be Held In The New Year
Elections For Over 29,000 Cooperative Societies In Maharashtra Likely To Be Held In The New Year
Pune, November 29, 2024: Elections for 29,429 cooperative societies in Maharashtra, which were postponed due to the assembly polls, are now set to take place in the coming year. The Maharashtra Cooperative Election Authority is expected to announce the election schedule in the first week of January. Societies have been directed to prepare and update their voter lists, with the deadline for submission set for December 31.
Election Preparations Underway
The elections, originally planned after the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, were deferred due to the state assembly elections. Cooperative department officials were engaged in election-related duties for the assembly polls, causing a delay in the cooperative elections. Now that the assembly elections are over, the election authority has issued instructions to update voter lists and expedite the process.
According to Cooperative Election Authority Commissioner Anil Kawade, “Once voter lists are finalized by December 31, the election schedule for the respective societies will be announced.”
Details of Societies and Phased Elections
The elections will cover:
- A-class societies:Â 42
- B-class societies:Â 1,716
- C-class societies:Â 12,250
- D-class societies:Â 15,435
Earlier, the first phase of elections was conducted for 7,109 societies with fewer than 250 members or those under court directives to hold polls. Only elections for presidents and vice-presidents were held in these cases. The cooperative election authority has sought updates on the appointments made during this phase.
Focus on Updating Voter Lists
To facilitate timely elections, district-level authorities have been tasked with ensuring voter lists are up to date. The voter lists submitted by December 31 will form the basis for scheduling the elections in early 2025.
Significance of the Elections
These cooperative societies include a diverse range of entities, such as housing societies, agricultural cooperatives, and credit institutions, making their elections crucial for the functioning of Maharashtra’s cooperative ecosystem.
With the voter lists underway and state government clearance anticipated, Maharashtra is gearing up for a significant exercise in cooperative governance in the new year.
