Members of the Janata Dal (Secular), under the leadership of former Minister H.D. Revanna, here on Thursday staged a protest alleging attempts by an official of Department of Cooperation to delay the elections to two cooperative bodies in the district.
The term of the elected bodies of the Hassan District Central Cooperative Wholesale Marketing Society and Sanjeevini Cooperative Hospital, Medical Education and Research Institute, has ended, necessitating elections. Following a Karnataka High Court order, in response to a writ petition, the department had announced the dates of the elections.
Mr. Revanna told media that though the dates of the elections had been announced, the officer-in-charge of preparing the revised voters’ list had not completed his work. “The elections for the wholesale marketing society had been scheduled on October 18 and 25. The notification was issued on September 3 itself. However, V. Sunil, the chief manager of the society, had not finalised the voters’ list so far. He is attempting to delay the election process for political reasons”, he alleged.
The same officer had been appointed as administrator of Sanjeevini Cooperative Hospital. The elections to the institution had been scheduled on November 7 and 11. However, so far the officer had not begun the process. “He has been acting in violation of the court’s order. The delayed tactics he has adopted show that he has been acting at the behest of a political party”, Mr. Revanna alleged. He also submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner R. Girish.
The Deputy Commissioner assured the protesters that he would consult the senior officers of the Cooperation Department and ensure the elections are held as per the schedule.
