Gujarat Government Announces Six-Month Exemption for Cooperative Society Elections
The Gujarat state government has made a significant announcement regarding elections for cooperative societies across the state. On Wednesday, the government declared that elections to constitute management committees of cooperative societies would be exempted for a period of six months. This decision comes as a direct result of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Gujarat, which is currently underway.
Official Statement from Government Spokesperson
Government spokesperson and minister Jitu Vaghani addressed reporters following a cabinet meeting in Gandhinagar. He provided detailed reasoning behind this temporary exemption. "Organising management committee elections for specified cooperative societies through the state revenue system would be challenging during this period," Vaghani explained. He further clarified that all such election processes were exempted from being conducted for six months from the date of today's published notification.
Scope and Exclusions of the Notification
The minister provided important clarification about which cooperative societies would be affected by this exemption. According to Vaghani, cooperative societies whose election processes are already being conducted or are pending due to judicial orders or judgments have been specifically excluded from this notification. This means that only societies not currently engaged in election processes or those not under judicial directives will benefit from this six-month exemption period.
Background and Implications
The decision comes at a time when the state government is conducting a comprehensive Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across Gujarat. This revision process requires significant administrative resources and coordination, making simultaneous election processes for cooperative societies particularly challenging. The six-month exemption period is designed to:
- Allow the electoral roll revision to proceed without administrative conflicts
- Ensure proper resources are allocated to the SIR process
- Prevent overlapping election activities that could strain the state revenue system
- Maintain the integrity of both electoral processes
The notification published on Wednesday formalizes this temporary arrangement, providing clear guidelines for cooperative societies across the state. This move is expected to streamline administrative processes during the crucial electoral roll revision period while ensuring that cooperative societies can resume their election processes once the SIR is complete.
