Association seeks protection during cooperative polls

With complaints of unfair methods in the elections to cooperative societies in the State being raised, the members of the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Bank Employees Association urged the Tamil Nadu State Cooperatives Societies Election Commission to provide them with protection during the elections.

Staging a demonstration near the Collectorate on Friday, the members, who held the posts of secretaries of the primary agricultural cooperative societies, said they were caught in the crossfire between the ruling party, senior officials and Opposition parties. “While some of us have been posted as election officers, others have been involved in election duty. There are 185 Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies in Vellore. In some places, officials have displayed a final list of candidates after being forced by the ruling party, and in a few places, the ruling and Opposition parties have struck a deal for sharing the posts. Whatever arrangement is done, we are facing the wrath of politicians across party lines,” a member of the association said.

He added that in a society in Arakkonam taluk, a party man attacked an election officer, while Opposition parties staged a protest after a list of candidates from the AIADMK was displayed at another society.

Call for fair polls

“Such incidents lead to plenty of tension at the spot. Political party cadre are looking at us like enemies. So, we need protection to carry out the election process,” he said.

The members also wanted the elections to be conducted as per the rules. “We want the polls to be conducted in a free and fair manner,” he said.

E. Dharmalingam, district president and R. Viswanathan, district secretary of the association took part.