After a gap of nearly five-and-a-half years, elections to cooperative societies in the State are set to be held in five phases from April 5. The Tamil Nadu State Cooperative Societies Election Commission (TNSCSEC) on Monday announced the schedule for the elections. The first phase of elections would be held in four stages.
For the first time, election observers would be appointed for all districts to ensure free and fair elections.
Cooperative societies in ‘sensitive areas’ would be identified and steps taken to provide sufficient police protection. In the first phase, elections to all primary cooperative societies (except cooperative marketing societies), numbering 22,192, would be held. The first phase of elections would be completed in four stages: Stage I (5,855 societies — April 5), Stage II (5,603 societies — April 12), Stage III (5,481 societies — April 19), Stage IV (5,253 societies — April 27).
The process for the first phase commenced on Monday with the issuance of notification, and would be concluded on May 6. The schedule for the rest of the four phases would be issued in due course.
In the second phase, polls would be held for cooperative marketing societies, cooperative sugar mills and central societies under functional Registrars (208 societies). During the third phase, elections would be held for Central cooperative banks, cooperative wholesale stores and all apex cooperative societies (73 societies).
Phase four would cover District Cooperative Unions, Cooperative Printing Presses, Tamil Nadu State Apex Cooperative Bank, Tamil Nadu Consumer Cooperative Federation and Tamil Nadu Industrial Cooperative Bank (58 societies).
During phase five, the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Union would be covered. The Commissioner of the TNSCSEC has directed the District Election Officers to fix the venues for filing of nomination, conduct of the poll and counting of votes, besides issuing election notice.
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has expedited the process for conducting elections to the cooperatives. Accepting the demand by many political parties to constitute a separate Commission for conducting the elections to the co-operative bodies in a fair manner, the government has formed the TNSCSEC and appointed retired IAS officer M R Mohan as the Commissioner.