The Bihar government has appointed three directors to the board of the Bihar State Cooperative Marketing Union Limited (BISCOMAUN), a move expected to significantly impact the upcoming elections for key office bearers.
The appointments were made under Section 48(1)(C) of the Bihar Cooperative Societies Act, 1935, granting the newly appointed directors the same authority and responsibilities as other board members.
The appointed directors are Sahakar Bharati National General Secretary Deepak Chaurasia, former MLC Manoj Kumar Singh, and Rakesh Kapur.
Sources suggest that they are likely to support Vishal Singh in the upcoming BISCOMAUN elections, which could pose a challenge to RJD leader Sunil Singh and his team. While Sunil Singh reportedly holds a majority, these appointments may create hurdles in his bid to elect a chairman of his choice.
Reacting strongly, Sunil Singh criticized the move, calling it unprecedented in India’s cooperative movement. He claimed that no state government has ever issued such a directive before the board’s formation, nominating three private individuals to the board.
Singh also pointed out that BISCOMAUN is registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies, New Delhi. He argued that any orders or directives regarding a multi-state registered society can only be issued by the Central Registrar, not the state government.
The Bihar government, however, defended its decision, citing provisions under Section 48 of the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002. As per the act, if the state or central government holds 51% or more of a cooperative society’s total share capital, it has the authority to nominate up to one-third of the board members.
In BISCOMAUN’s case, Bihar’s total shareholding amounts to Rs 19.61 crore out of the total Rs 19.76 crore, constituting 99.26% ownership. Based on this, the government exercised its right under Section 48(1)(C) to nominate the three directors for the board’s full tenure or until further orders.
This development adds a new dimension to the BISCOMAUN elections, with the appointments likely to influence the leadership battle and the broader power dynamics within Bihar’s cooperative sector.
