MAPUSA
In a historic election to the Bardez Bazaar Consumer Cooperative Society, the Sahakar Navajeevan panel floated by senior Congress leader Ramakant Khalap scored a thumping victory, winning all 12 seats it contested.
The election marked the first-ever voting process in the 36-year history of the cooperative, as all previous boards had been elected unopposed.
The Sahakar Navajeevan panel, led by Mahadev Natekar, defeated the Bardez Bazaar panel headed by Dharma Chodankar, whose group managed to secure only two seats “ Chodankar himself and Shashikant Kandolkar.
A highlight of the outcome was that three members of the Khalap family “ his wife Nirmala Khalap, son Nikhilchandra Khalap and daughter-in-law Pratiksha Khalap “ were among those elected.
Polling was held on Sunday at the Mapusa Sub-Registrar’s office where 537 shareholders out of 2,556 exercised their franchise.
The counting, conducted on Monday morning under the supervision of Election Officer Rameshwar Dabholkar and Assistant Officer Govind Thakur, concluded by afternoon, confirming a clean sweep for Khalap’s panel.
The Sahakar Navajeevan panel secured the top 10 positions in the results list, with Sudhir Kandolkar polling the highest votes at 386, followed by Ravindra Fogeri (350) and Narayan Ratvad (335).
The election was held for 14 out of 15 board seats, including two reserved for women.
“There are several challenges before us and our focus will be on strengthening and reorganising the entire cooperative sector. Our aim is to prepare a roadmap for the next 25 years and the new Board will function without any favouritism. We will give a strong push to the Bardez Bazaar mall concept and begin work on it within the next six months. We also plan to expand and promote the home delivery service of Bardez Bazaar,” said Ramakant Khalap, Promoter, Bardez Bazaar.
Former chairman Dharma Chodankar said he is committed to working for the growth of the cooperative sector and fully respect the verdict of the shareholders.
“Anyone who contributes to strengthening the Bardez Bazaar ecosystem will always have our support. We will also keep a close watch to ensure that no wrong practices take place. I continue to stand with Bhai Khalap and if he feels otherwise, it is not my fault “ I have never opposed him,” Chodankar said.
