The upcoming elections to the Governing Council of the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI), scheduled for July 15, are emerging as one of the most high-stakes contests in the country’s cooperative sector.
While the publication of the preliminary list of NCUI member institutions has provided a broad indication of constituency-wise eligible members, the final electoral picture will become clear only after the delegate verification process is completed.
Member organisations have been asked to submit delegate nomination forms by June 11, 2026. The provisional list of delegates will be published on June 12, objections will be invited from June 15 to 19, scrutiny will be conducted from June 22 to 25, and the final list of eligible delegates and institutions is scheduled to be published on June 25, 2026.
Compared to the last election, the number of NCUI member institutions has increased to 347. However, the exact number of institutions eligible to vote and contest the election will become clear only on June 25.
The contest has gained added importance as leaders associated with RSS-backed Sahakar Bharati and several outgoing board members linked to different political parties, including the BJP, Congress, Samajwadi Party and TMC, are expected to seek re-election.
Cooperative insiders say the political and ideological undercurrents make this election very different from previous NCUI polls, where several constituencies often witnessed consensus or unopposed selections.
According to sources tracking the election process, this year’s polls are likely to witness contests in almost every constituency. The only major exception could be the Delhi and Union Territories segment under Group I, where the Delhi State Cooperative Union is reportedly the only eligible institution, making its election almost certain.
The main battle is expected across four important categories, State and Union Territory Cooperative Unions, National Level Cooperative Federations, State-Level Cooperative Federations and Societies, and Multi-State Cooperative Societies, which together account for most seats on the NCUI Board.
Group I: State and UT Cooperative Unions
Under Group I, seven members will be elected from seven constituencies. Although the category has 33 member unions, nearly 14 are reportedly ineligible to contest because of non-compliance with AGM attendance rules. However, some of them may still retain voting rights if pending subscription dues are cleared before the finalisation process.
At present, around 19 unions are considered eligible to contest. These include cooperative unions from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and Delhi.
The North East constituency is expected to witness one of the toughest contests, especially between the Sikkim and Manipur State Cooperative Unions. Interestingly, most of the eligible unions belong to states ruled by the BJP or BJP-supported alliances, adding political significance to the election.
Group II: National Cooperative Federations
Group II, which represents National Level Cooperative Societies and Federations, is also emerging as a crucial battleground with five seats up for election.
Out of 21 member institutions, three newly formed cooperative bodies, National Cooperative Export Limited, National Cooperative Organics Limited and Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited, can reportedly vote but are not eligible to contest.
Around 13 major national federations are currently eligible to field candidates. These include NAFED, NAFSCOB, NFCSF, NAFCARD, IFFCO, NCHF, NAFCUB, FISHCOPFED, KRIBHCO, NDDB, NCCF, NLCF and COBI.
Cooperative insiders believe several of these institutions are presently under strong BJP or BJP-backed influence, making the contests politically significant.
Group III: State-Level Federations and Societies
Group III is considered one of the most influential categories because it elects six members and includes representation from multiple sectors of the cooperative movement.
The category includes separate constituencies for state cooperative banks, agriculture and rural development banks, urban cooperative banks, marketing federations, housing federations, dairy federations, sugar federations, fisheries federations, labour federations, tribal cooperatives, handloom cooperatives and several other state-level bodies.
In the constituency representing State Cooperative Banks, five institutions are reportedly eligible to contest, Delhi State Cooperative Bank, Haryana State Cooperative Apex Bank, Kerala State Cooperative Bank, Odisha State Cooperative Bank and Uttarakhand State Cooperative Bank.
The constituency representing State Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks has five eligible institutions from Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Another constituency representing Urban Cooperative Banks and Credit Societies Federations reportedly has eight eligible federations, while the constituency for State Cooperative Marketing Federations also has around eight eligible institutions.
One of the key constituencies under Group III will elect a representative from housing, dairy, sugar, consumer and other cooperative federations from North and Eastern states and Union Territories. Around 12 institutions are reportedly eligible in this category.
Similarly, the constituency representing spinning mills, fisheries, labour, tribal and handloom federations from western and southern states is expected to witness intense competition, with nearly 27 institutions reportedly eligible to contest.
Group IV: Multi-State Cooperative Societies
Group IV, representing Multi-State Cooperative Societies, will elect two members and is also expected to witness a highly competitive contest.
One seat represents societies from North and Eastern states and Union Territories, where around 45 societies are reportedly eligible to contest. The second seat represents Western and Southern states and UTs, where around 28 societies are considered eligible.
With multiple influential cooperative institutions, political interests and regional groupings involved, the NCUI elections are shaping up to be one of the most closely watched contests in India’s cooperative sector in recent years.
(With inputs from Rohit Gupta, Principal Correspondent)