Election fever grips Jharkhand co-op; polling on 27th March

Jharkhand State Cooperative Bank is in election mode and candidates are busy making the strategy to win the elections scheduled for 27th March 2023.

The list of eligible voters has been made public and candidates can file their nomination papers on 14th March 2023. There are 120 eligible voters.

Praful Singh, the son of a venerable cooperator and a former Minister of Bihar, late Awadhesh Singh, Jharkhand Joint Registrar (Cooperation) wife Smt. Vibha Singh, Jharkhand STCB former Director Prabhat Singh, Uday Shankar Singh and others will try their luck to win the elections. But the full picture would be clear on 18 March 2023, when the final list will be released.

Meanwhile, candidates who are set to contest the elections have started campaigning in their respective areas and engaged in wooing voters.

Talking to Indian Cooperative, one of the contestants Praful Singh said, “My panel comprising six people (5 from PACS + 1 from special society) in Palamu district of Jharkhand won unopposed in JSCB delegate election. In neighbouring districts Chatra, Latehar, Logardaga, Gumla, Garhwa and Hazaribagh candidates supported by me won unopposed” .

The board of the bank consists of 15 directors, and a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman. The scrutiny of nomination papers and withdrawal will be held on 15th March and 18th March 2023 respectively.

The District Cooperative Officer George Afrem Kujur has been appointed as the returning officer to oversee the election process.

It bears recalling that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nabard was signed for promotion and financing of 2000 Joint Liability Groups (JLGs). This was signed at the regional office of NABARD in Ranchi and it would cover three years.

Jharkhand State Cooperative Bank has a deposit base of more than Rs 2000 crore and loans and advances of around Rs 530 crore. The bank earned a net profit of Rs 17.99 crore in the 2021-22 financial year and it is said after the end of the current financial year, it will cross to Rs 30 crore.

Talking to Indian Cooperative, MD Mr Manoj Kumar of Jharkhand State Cooperative Bank said that he is also looking forward to a fruitful election as many of the bank’s plans to expand and excel will get a boost with the election of a new Chairman.