Laxmi Das, President of the National Federation of Urban Cooperative Banks and Credit Societies (NAFCUB), on Thursday raised concerns over delays in conducting elections in multi-state cooperative societies, saying such delays often lead to the appointment of administrators and disrupt the functioning of institutions.
Speaking during a technical session organised by the Central Cooperative Election Authority at Vigyan Bhavan, Das said that when elections are not held on time in multi-state cooperatives, the existing boards are removed and administrators are appointed. This, he said, affects the smooth functioning of the societies.
He cited the example of the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI), where an administrator had to be appointed due to delays in holding elections. Das urged the election authority to ensure that cooperative elections are conducted on time and requested the Ministry to review the relevant provisions.
Das also pointed out that even after elections are conducted, societies often face delays in getting approval from the election authority, and urged that the process be expedited.
Responding to the concerns, Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation, said elections must be conducted on time as many cooperative boards fail to hold polls within the stipulated period. He said the provision for appointing administrators was introduced to address such situations and stressed that election results should be declared immediately to ensure smooth governance.