The election to the Board of Directors of the National Federation of Fishers’ Cooperative Ltd. (Fishcopfed) has virtually concluded, with all but one of the filled seats being decided unopposed. The only electoral contest took place in the Western Zone, where Maharashtra cooperator Prakash Lonare defeated Premkumar Gajbhare of Nagpur to secure a place on the Board.
Talking to Indian Cooperative, Lonare confirmed his victory and said he secured 15 votes, while his rival managed only two votes. According to him, around 22 members participated in the polling, with the remaining eligible voters staying away from the election.
According to information available with Indian Cooperative, the 14-member Board of FISHCOPFED comprises 10 elected directors, while four seats remain vacant. Of these, three zonal seats, one each from the North, Central and South Zones, remained vacant as no nominations were received from the respective constituencies.
The Corporation Constituency has two seats. However, since the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) was the only eligible member in the constituency, Manoj Kumar of NCDC was elected unopposed to one seat, while the second seat remained vacant. In addition, one seat is reserved for a Government nominee from the Ministry of Fisheries, who is expected to be nominated on or before July 18, 2026.
According to the election schedule issued by the Cooperative Election Authority (CEA) under the Union Ministry of Cooperation, the formal declaration of the election results is scheduled on or before July 18, 2026.
Meanwhile, the election process has been overshadowed by a significant legal development. In a landmark arbitration award, Sole Arbitrator Kalyan Sahai Meena (Retd. IAS) held the 2021 Fishcopfed election process to be legally unsustainable and directed that a fresh election be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.
Interestingly, the Cooperative Election Authority had already notified the present election programme before the arbitration award was delivered.
The arbitration award has raised questions over its potential impact on the ongoing election process. Since the Cooperative Election Authority had already announced the election schedule before the award was delivered, it remains to be seen how the Authority responds to the arbitrator’s directions and whether the award has any bearing on the declaration of the election results or the validity of the newly elected Board.
