New Delhi: For the first time in its history, swords have been crossed at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) of South Asia, one of the prestigious journalists’ clubs in Delhi, even as three-day Voting process begins on Sunday (March 21) to elect a new President and seven Managing Committee members for next two years.
Former president Dr Waeil Awwad, former Treasurer Pankaj Yadav and one Munish Gupta are in the fray for the presidential race.
Gupta’s Club membership in Foreign Correspondent (FC) category has been challenged by a few Club members as he runs a PIO-TV which is registered under the Indian Companies Act.
Gupta, who is seen as a proxy candidate of outgoing President S. Venkat Narayan, is the brother of Manoranjana Sinh the estranged wife of Saradha Scam Accused Matang Sinh.
For the MC there are eight candidates in contest, including Pankaj Yadav.
There are around 250 eligible voters. According to various circulars issued by Caretaker President Venkat and Returning Officer Ashok Sharma, Voting through E-mails will continue till March 23, while final results will be announced on March 24 at an AGM.
Challenging the whole election process, a senior member of the Club told TakshakPost that the elections were being conducted before an AGM which was ultra vires the Club’s Constitution. “The votes will be cast through E-mails, sent to R.O. I wonder how such votes would be considered as a Secret Ballot. A Secret Ballot is a secret ballot, which should not be known even to the R.O.,” he said.
Pointing out other irregularities, the senior member also said that Voters List has not been provided to the candidates till late evening of March 20. “How can a candidate in the electoral fray approach the possible voters appealing for votes as there is no Voters List made available by the R.O,” he wondered.
The FCC of South Asia is registered as a “Society” with the “Registrar of Indian Societies” under the Indian Societies Act, 1860. Yadav and two other Club members – Prakash Nanda and Deepak Dwivedi had approached the Registrar challenging the illegal election procedure.
Acknowledging that there exists a “Bonafide Dispute”, the Registrar Court said that the matter be taken to a Civil Court. As per the latest information, the three petitioners are planning to move to Delhi High Court on Monday (March 22, 2021) challenging the FCC Election Process.