HYDERABAD: Amid speculation that the state government was preparing to do away with the practice of holding elections to governing bodies of Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Societies (PACS) and District Cooperative Central Banks (DCCBs) and to adopt a nomination-based system, sources in the ruling Congress revealed that newly appointed District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents are likely to be nominated to these posts.
The move comes amid buzz in the ruling party that the state government is likely to nominate around seven MLAs and several other senior leaders to corporation chairperson posts.
It is learnt that the government is likely to continue the practice of appointing MLAs who were not accommodated in the Cabinet to the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) and Telangana Beverages Corporation Limited (TGBCL).
Meanwhile, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) recently approved the appointment of presidents for 31 DCC units in the state.
According to party sources, a majority of them are expected to be accommodated in PACS and DCCB leadership positions as the Congress seeks to elevate its cadre to influential posts at the district level.
Cooperative elections are often as contentious as local body polls, frequently triggering factionalism among farmers at the village level. In this backdrop, the state government is said to be reluctant to conduct elections to PACS and is instead inclined towards constituting managing committees through nominations.
As per the Cooperative Societies Act, each PACS has a 13-member managing committee comprising a chairman, vice-chairman and 11 directors, with mandatory reservations under SC, ST, BC and woman categories.
Sources indicate that the government is planning to extend the same nomination model to District Cooperative Marketing Societies (DCMS), and state-level bodies such as Telangana State Co-operative Marketing Federation Ltd (MARKFED) and Telangana State Cooperative Apex Bank Limited (TGCAB). The proposed approach mirrors the existing system for Agricultural Market Committees (AMCs), where managing committees are constituted through nominations.
A senior Congress leader said that around 10,000 Congress workers are likely to be accommodated if the nomination system is adopted for PACS, DCCBs, MARKFED and TGCAB.
Nomination model
As per the Cooperative Societies Act, each PACS has a 13-member managing committee comprising a chairman, vice-chairman and 11 directors, with mandatory reservations for SCs, STs, BCs and women. The government is planning to extend the same nomination model to DCMS, MARKFED and TGCAB