Though uncertainties over holding AGMs for co-op banks have ended with a recent Circular by the office of the Central Registrar, clarity on co-op elections are still elusive for the apex body NCUI. Despite NCUI writing a reminder to the Central Registrar recently, the Ministry maintains silence on the issue.
In its letter the apex body of cooperatives seeks urgent guidelines for conducting AGMs and holding elections as the tenure of the Governing Council has already expired. NCUI also refers to its letter on the subject, sent earlier to the govt.
Talking to Indian Cooperative, NCUI’s Chief Executive N Satyanarayan confirmed that till Monday there had been no response from the Central Registrar on the issue. “We have mailed a reminder and hope to get a response in a day or two”, Satyanarayana said Monday evening.
Following the govt Circular, NCUI approached both the agencies- that of Delhi state RoC and District Administration for securing the services of a Returning Officer. While the former expressed its reluctance for the job due to the Covid preoccupation, the latter has yet to respond.
In the second letter NCUI has also appended the reply of Delhi State Register expressing his inability to spare an officer to officiate as Returning Officer for the elections of the apex body, sources added.
Talking about the IFFCO route (IFFCO has successfully conducted its AGM on 26th August), NCUI’s CE said “the case of NCUI is different as along with the AGM, elections of the Governing Council is to be held”.
Besides, being the apex body NCUI has also to seek guidelines for hundreds of multi state co-ops spread across the states, CE Satyanarayana stated. “We are waiting to hear from the govt”, he said.
Conceding that it is difficult for the govt also to find a way out in the absence of any clarity on the issue in MSCS Act 2002, Satyanarayan said that on its part NCUI does not want to be a defaulter. “We have acted as per the govt Circular and look forward to their guidance further”, he added.
What NCUI needs is a service of a Returning Officer and an instruction from the Ministry for conducting elections at the earliest, said an NCUI official.
It bears recall that Central Registrar Vivek Agrawal has held two meetings on a Webinar with a few co-operators to find a solution through consensus. He is indeed having a tough time finding a solution for the elections of multistate co-op bodies in the wake of Covid 19.
The problem is more acute for multi-state co-ops as many of states’ co-op Acts clearly stipulate on the matter unlike the MSCS Act 2002. There are provisions in the Act in Gujarat whereby the RoC can take a decision. In Maharashtra, the state govt had to come up with an ordinance postponing co-op election.
