The Cooperative Election Authority (CEA) has successfully conducted elections in 13 Multi-State Cooperative Banks (MSCBs) after the amended Banking Regulation Act, 1949 came into force on August 1, 2025, extending the maximum continuous tenure of directors (excluding Chairpersons and Whole-time Directors) from eight years to 10 years.
To ensure smooth implementation of the amended provision, the CEA incorporated the revised tenure rule in the appointment orders issued to Returning Officers, enabling elections to be held in a transparent, free and fair manner.
The elections covered leading cooperative banks, including The Mehsana Urban Cooperative Bank, AP Mahesh Cooperative Urban Bank, Bharati Sahakari Bank, Shri Veershaiv Cooperative Bank, Solapur Janata Sahakari Bank, The Varachha Cooperative Bank, Jalgaon People’s Cooperative Bank and The Kalupur Commercial Cooperative Bank. At The Cosmos Cooperative Bank, an election was held to fill a casual vacancy for the Chairperson’s post.
According to a CEA Information Note, the Authority had issued 366 election programmes by the end of June 2026, successfully completed 276 elections of Boards of Directors and Office Bearers, while 90 elections were underway, reinforcing its role in strengthening democratic governance in the multi-state cooperative sector.
