State Poll Panel Recommends EVMs for Cooperative Society Elections

Speedy Summary:

• Teh Cooperative Election Authority held its first consultative meeting with State Cooperative Election Authorities (SCEA) on August 11, 2025.
• The meeting focused on creating a mechanism for ensuring fair and obvious elections within cooperative societies.
• Discussions included:

– Development of standardized manuals and codes of conduct for cooperative elections.- Setting upper expenditure limits for contesting candidates.
– Publication of a handbook for returning Officers.
– Frameworks for electing delegates from member cooperative societies to national-level societies.

• Participating states included Odisha, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Maharashtra.
• State authorities proposed the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in cooperative society elections to enhance transparency and efficiency.
• Chairperson Devendra Kumar singh highlighted that the Cooperative Election Authority has conducted 159 elections since March 2024 and is preparing for another 69 upcoming polls.

Indian opinion Analysis:

The introduction of measures such as Electronic Voting machines (EVMs) could mark an meaningful step toward enhancing transparency in cooperative society elections. with over a year’s experience conducting these polls under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act framework, ther appears to be significant progress in professionalizing election management. However, scaling these reforms across all states would likely require careful implementation strategies alongside robust infrastructure investments.

By addressing issues like candidate expenditure limits and comprehensive manuals or codes of conduct-key priorities set out during this consultative meeting-the process could become more equitable while giving smaller cooperatives better representation at higher levels. streamlining election oversight reflects an intention by authorities to empower grassroots governance structures within India’s extensive cooperative sector effectively.

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