The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) now finds itself in a quandary for the forthcoming cooperative societies’ elections after the Odisha High Court on Monday quashed the Government circular that had allowed voting rights to those members which were included after the election notification was made.
The State Cooperative Election Commissioner had issued the poll notification on October 27 for elections to 9,733 cooperative societies. But three weeks after, on November 18, the Registrar of Cooperative Societies came out with a Government circular allowing voting rights to new members, who were inducted after the election notification was made.
Challenging the circular, a Kendrapada-based cooperative society member Ajay Kumar Mohanty approached the High Court stating that the Rules governing the elections allow only those voters to participate in the election who are members of the societies as on the date of the poll notification is made.
Quashing the circular of the Registrar, Justice Biswanath Rath has directed the Cooperative Election Commission to issue necessary directions to poll officers in this regard debarring the fresh members from voting right.
Sources said there are over 50 lakh cooperative societies’ members in the State and they get voting rights provided they have a minimum deposit against their names at the time of election notification is made. The last election to the societies for a term of five years was held in 2007, and the Government was deferring the elections although the polls were due since 2012.