The IFFCO elections conducted on May 9 were spectacular from several points of view. The process was so transparent that even those who lost by just one vote had no complaints to make. Videography, live telecast, and a see-through process made the exercise so clean that none had any complaints.
The fairness of the polling was evident from the results as well. Annasaheb Jolle, BJP MP, and K Srinivasa Gowda each received 34 votes. A recounting was ordered which confirmed the initial count. Later, in a stroke of luck, Gowda emerged as the winner. The process was transparent enough for Jolle to refrain from lodging any complaint; he received the news with grace and aplomb.
Similarly, Sadhana Jadhav, who lost by just one vote, had nothing to complain about. She witnessed every process unfold before her eyes with total transparency and had nothing other than luck to attribute her loss to.
The exercise led the Returning Officer, DM of South Delhi, to express that his respect for IFFCO had grown significantly after witnessing how transparently and fairly the entire process was conducted. The DM distributed certificates to the winners and urged other co-ops to follow in the footsteps of IFFCO.
Interestingly, D K Singh, Chairman of the Cooperative Election Authority, also visited IFFCO headquarters on the election day with his team and was visibly impressed by the fairness of the exercise.
He also called on NAFED officials to observe the process, to be implemented in its elections scheduled for May 21st of this month.
It is worth recalling that the results for the elections of the board of directors of IFFCO were announced yesterday, Thursday. Several constituencies witnessed keen contests, and more than half a dozen newcomers were elected.
Despite this, Radadiya emerged victorious—a significant feat indeed. His supporters cheered in the auditorium as the counting progressed, visible through high-tech live cameras for the audience.
In contrast, the seat from Odisha-West Bengal-Andaman & Nicobar saw the outgoing Director Simachal Padhy retaining it, defeating his rival Santimoy Dey. Padhy received 38 votes while Dey got 20 votes.
The Kerala-Tamil Nadu seat was won by S Shakthvel, who got 23 votes. Meanwhile, his rival Sumesh A received 20 votes.
The lone seat reserved for women on the board of IFFCO was won by newcomer Varsha Kasturkar by just one vote. It was indeed a bad day for Sadhana Jadhav.
Meanwhile, the Rajasthan seat was won by Ramniwas Garhwal, who received 39 votes while his rival Kripa Ram Chaudhari received 17 votes.
