BENGALURU: The Assembly on Monday passed the Karnataka Co-operative Societies (Amendement) Bill, 2025, to provide reservation for SC/ST/OBCs in the election to president and vice-president posts to cooperative societies.
It also proposed the nomination of one each from SC, ST and a woman categories to the board of directors, but they will not be given voting rights in the elections, clarified Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil.
BJP MLA Araga Jnanendra suggested that instead of nominations the three from the respective communities could be elected as there is a reservation for SC, ST, BCM(A) and BCM(B) candidates in the election.
He suggested keeping aside the bill as it was conceptualised when KN Rajanna was cooperation minister. JDS MLA G T Devegowda said that despite CM Siddaramaiah being a backward class leader, there is no nomination for OBCs.
He opposed the mandate of the CEO, director and chairpersons in societies to declare their assets and liabilities as it is impractical. He said the bill aims to further the intervention of the government in the cooperative sector.
Backward Classes Welfare Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi and Kaduru Congress MLA KS Anand alleged that Gowda and BJP MLAs are opposing the reservation. Patil defended the Bill, saying it is to ensure social justice and claimed that he along with K N Rajanna had discussed it with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot as the latter had rejected it first.