The workers associated with Biju Janata Dal have geared up to win the elections of apex bodies of cooperatives in Odisha, scheduled for 26th Feb 2023.
The state level apex bodies which will go for polls are Odisha State Cooperative Bank, Odisha Cooperative Housing Corporation, Odisha State Cooperative Marketing Federation (Marfed), Odisha Consumers Cooperative Federation, Odisha State Cooperative Handicraft Corporation,Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation Odisha Limited and others.
It is learned that 50 percent of candidates who are fighting the elections for the board of apex bodies are already elected unopposed and the elections will be held only for a few seats.
Meanwhile, Fishcopfed former Chairman and well known face in Delhi’s co-operative circles Prasad Dora has been elected unopposed as the director on the board of Odisha State Cooperative Bank and Odisha Fisheries Cooperative Corporation LTD (FISHFED).
It bears recalling that the term of the board of directors in the majority of state level co-ops ends in 2020 and for about three years the Administrator has been regulating these cooperative bodies.
Earlier, reported in this column Biju Janata Dal in Odisha won the majority of elections held at district level, which included district central cooperative banks, Regional Cooperative Marketing Societies, District Cooperative Milk Producers Union, Wholesale Consumer Co-ops stores and others.
The election process of cooperatives from primary to district to state level has been going on for more than nine months. There are more than 6000 primary cooperative societies, 127 central co-op and 19 apex societies in Odisha.
Earlier, the Opposition BJP had called the ruling BJD out for using unfair means including using state govt employees to win cooperative elections in the state.
