Revised notification for coop society elections issued

The election process, the first phase of which has been already held, was earlier stayed by the Madras High Court over allegations of irregularities committed by the ruling party. It was subsequently vacated by the Supreme Court with the condition that the results should not be declared until further orders. 

Following this, the State Cooperative Societies Election Commission issued revised notifications in this regard as well as the schedule for the second, third and fourth phase of elections. 

Sources said the Commission has empowered the District Election Officers to conduct elections for the remaining three phases. The election process for the first phase had already been completed on April 9 and court orders relating to them would not be binding, sources added. 

“The election to posts of chairman and vice-chairman in the second phase should be held on April 27, as per the revised notification. However, officials are not allowed to publish the results of the same,” the source said. 

The other major advice issued was that election officials can conduct the election as per the revised schedule for phases 3 and 4. 

In a significant move, the election officials were empowered to scrutinise the nominations in both these phases and should not declare the contestants as duly elected if the number of contestants were either equivalent to the number of posts for which elections were held. If in case the number of candidates warrants an election, the official should have to arrange for polling. 

The results for phases 3 and 4 would not be announced until the orders in this regard are passed by the apex court, an official noted. 

The commission had on March 5 announced four-phase elections to 18,435 primary cooperative societies that come under several of the state’s departments such as Aavin, Fisheries, and Animal Husbandry, among others.