**Executive Summary**
A national seminar on "Transparency and Purity in Elections of Multi-State Cooperative Societies" was held in New Delhi on March 12, 2026, organized by the Cooperative Election Authority. The seminar aimed to strengthen transparency and integrity in cooperative elections, aligning with the vision of "Sahkar se Samriddhi." Key discussions focused on recent reforms, including the establishment of the Cooperative Election Authority and reservation provisions, with the goal of enhancing democratic governance by 2047.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Reforms and Governance Enhancement:**
* The Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2023, has introduced significant reforms to improve transparency, accountability, and democratic practices in cooperative institutions.
* The establishment of an independent Cooperative Election Authority, formally notified on March 11, 2024, is a key reform aimed at ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections.
* The tenure of Boards of Directors of Multi-State Cooperative Societies has been fixed, removing provisions that allowed boards to continue indefinitely and promoting greater discipline in governance.
* The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2025, has aligned the tenure of cooperative bank boards with constitutional provisions, strengthening democratic governance in the cooperative banking sector.
* Amendments to the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, limit directors of Multi-State Cooperative Banks to ten consecutive years in office, fostering new leadership opportunities.
* Cooperative societies are founded on principles of equitable member contribution and democratic control, encouraging active participation in policy and decision-making.
* Transparent and merit-based systems for recruitment and procurement are essential for professional management and contribution to national development.
* **Election Conduct and Oversight:**
* The Cooperative Election Authority has conducted approximately 240 elections and has approximately 70 elections underway, with about 130 more anticipated in the next financial year.
* The Cooperative Election Authority is entering its third year of functioning and has gained experience in conducting elections across various cooperative institutions.
* Clarity in bye-laws, including voting rights, active membership, and eligibility criteria, is crucial to avoid disputes and ensure fair and unambiguous electoral processes.
* Representation on the Board of large multi-state cooperative societies should reflect membership diversity to remain representative of members' interests.
* **Inclusiveness and Diversity:**
* The amended Act provides for the reservation of two seats for women and one seat each for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on the Boards of Multi-State Cooperative Societies to ensure greater diversity and inclusiveness.
* Steps are being taken to fill vacant reserved seats for women (six) and SC/ST categories (thirteen) in previously conducted elections.
* **Dispute Resolution and Grievance Redressal:**
* A Cooperative Ombudsman was appointed on March 5, 2024, to safeguard members' interests, examine complaints, and act as an appellate authority for certain decisions.
* Over 38,000 complaints have been received by the Cooperative Ombudsman, with a significant number addressed through passed orders.
* **Seminar Objectives and Outcomes:**
* The seminar brought together stakeholders to deliberate on strengthening transparency and integrity in cooperative elections.
* Technical sessions focused on "Promoting Transparency through Elections" and "Strengthening Purity and Integrity in Electoral Processes."
* The seminar concluded with a resolve to further enhance transparency, fairness, and democratic participation in cooperative elections, reinforcing the cooperative movement's role in socio-economic development and advancing the vision of "Sahkar se Samriddhi" and Viksit Bharat by 2047.
**Impact Analysis**
* **Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS):**
* **Impact:** These societies will experience enhanced transparency and accountability in their governance and electoral processes due to new reforms and the establishment of the Cooperative Election Authority. Fixed tenures for boards will bring greater discipline. Increased inclusiveness through reservations will require adapting board compositions.
* **Action Required:** MSCS must ensure their bye-laws are clear regarding voting rights, membership, and contest eligibility. They need to comply with reservation mandates and work towards filling vacant reserved seats. They must also adhere to new auditor appointment guidelines and term limits for directors.
* **Members of Cooperative Societies:**
* **Impact:** Members will benefit from more transparent, fair, and democratic elections, leading to improved governance and representation. The Cooperative Ombudsman provides a mechanism for grievance redressal. Reserved seats will foster greater diversity and inclusiveness, potentially leading to better representation of diverse interests.
* **Action Required:** Members should actively participate in elections and utilize the Cooperative Ombudsman for addressing grievances. They are encouraged to ensure their societies' bye-laws are clear and adhere to democratic principles.
* **Cooperative Election Authority (CEA):**
* **Impact:** The CEA has been formally established and is now responsible for conducting free, fair, and transparent elections for Multi-State Cooperative Societies. The CEA will manage an increasing volume of elections and has gained experience in its operational years.
* **Action Required:** The CEA needs to continue its mandate of conducting elections, ensuring clarity in electoral processes, and managing the filling of reserved vacancies.
* **Ministry of Cooperation:**
* **Impact:** The Ministry is driving significant reforms to strengthen the cooperative sector, aligning with national development goals. It is actively working to create an enabling environment for sustainable cooperative development.
* **Action Required:** The Ministry needs to continue implementing and overseeing reforms, taking necessary steps to fill vacant reserved seats, and supporting the Cooperative Election Authority and Cooperative Ombudsman.
* **Boards of Directors of Multi-State Cooperative Societies:**
* **Impact:** Their tenure is now fixed, and provisions allowing indefinite continuation until elections are removed. Directors of Multi-State Cooperative Banks face term limits. The inclusion of reserved seats will impact board composition.
* **Action Required:** Boards must adhere to their fixed tenures and term limits for directors. They are also required to accommodate members from reserved categories to ensure diversity and inclusiveness.
* **Cooperative Banks (including Multi-State Cooperative Banks):**
* **Impact:** Their boards' tenures are aligned with constitutional provisions, and directors have a maximum tenure of ten consecutive years. Transparency and accountability will be enhanced through mandatory appointment of auditors from an approved panel.
* **Action Required:** Cooperative banks must comply with the ten-year term limit for directors and adopt the mandated auditor appointment process.
Key Entities Referenced
Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2023: Key legislation introducing reforms for transparency, accountability, and democratic governance in multi-state cooperative societies, including the establishment of a Cooperative Election Authority.
Cooperative Election Authority: An independent body established to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections in Multi-State Cooperative Societies, a significant reform under the amended Act.
Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2025: Legislation that aligns the tenure of cooperative bank boards and impacts governance in the cooperative banking sector.
Cooperative Ombudsman: An appointed official to safeguard the interests of cooperative society members, handling complaints and acting as an appellate authority.
New Delhi: The location where the national seminar on transparency and purity in elections of multi-state cooperative societies was held.
Ministry of Cooperation
National Seminar on “Transparency and Purity in
Elections of Multi-State Cooperative Societies”
held in New Delhi
Reforms in cooperative sector advancing the vision of
“Sahkar se Samriddhi” under the leadership of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and guidance of Union Home & Cooperation
Minister Amit Shah
Cooperative Election Authority has conducted around 240
elections so far; strengthening democratic governance in
cooperatives
Around 70 elections currently underway; Cooperative Election
Authority expected to conduct about 130 more elections next
year
Reservation for women and SC/ST members strengthening
inclusiveness and diversity in cooperative governance
Posted On: 12 MAR 2026 8:04PM by PIB Delhi
A national seminar on “Transparency and Purity in Elections of Multi-State Cooperative Societies” was organised
today at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi by the Cooperative Election Authority (CEA) under the Ministry of
Cooperation. The seminar brought together a wide range of stakeholders including Chairpersons, Chief
Executive Officers and members of the Boards of Directors of Multi-State Cooperative Societies,
Returning Officers, District Magistrates, Chairpersons of State Cooperative Election Authorities, experts
from the cooperative sector, and senior officers from the Central and State Governments.
Addressing the gathering, Minister of State for Cooperation Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar said that the
programme organised by the Cooperative Election Authority is historic and will prove to be a milestone
for the cooperative movement. He noted that for the first time representatives of Multi-State Cooperative
Societies from across the country have gathered on a single platform to deliberate on strengthening
transparency and integrity in cooperative elections. Shri Gurjar said that under the vision of Prime
Minister Shri Narendra Modi of “Sahkar se Samriddhi” and the leadership of Union Minister of Home
Affairs and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, the Government of India is continuously working to strengthen
the cooperative ecosystem and create an enabling environment for sustainable cooperative development so
that cooperatives can play an important role in achieving the goal of a self-reliant and developed India by
2047.The Minister of State for Cooperation highlighted that several important reforms have been introduced
through the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2023 to make cooperative institutions
more transparent, accountable and democratic. He said that one of the most significant reforms under the
amended Act was the establishment of an independent Cooperative Election Authority, formally notified
on 11 March 2024, which has been entrusted with ensuring free, fair and transparent elections in Multi-
State Cooperative Societies. Another key reform, he said, relates to fixing the tenure of Boards of
Directors of Multi-State Cooperative Societies and removing provisions that allowed boards to continue
indefinitely until elections were conducted, thereby bringing greater discipline in governance and
preventing delays in the conduct of elections.
Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar said that the reforms introduced by the Government aim to strengthen democratic
governance and accountability within cooperative institutions. He informed that the Cooperative Election
Authority has successfully conducted around 240 elections so far, while about 70 elections are currently
underway, and around 130 additional elections are expected to be conducted in the coming financial year.
He also highlighted that the amended Act provides for reservation of two seats for women and one seat
each for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on the Boards of Multi-State Cooperative Societies,
ensuring greater diversity and inclusiveness in cooperative governance. He noted that six seats reserved
for women and thirteen seats reserved for SC/ST categories remain vacant in elections conducted so far
and the Ministry of Cooperation is taking necessary steps to fill these vacancies.
The Minister of State for Cooperation further said that the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2025
has aligned the tenure of boards of cooperative banks, including Multi-State Cooperative Banks, with the
provisions of Article 243ZJ of the Constitution, thereby strengthening democratic governance in the
cooperative banking sector. He also noted that the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act,
2023 has introduced provisions to enhance transparency and accountability in cooperative banks by
mandating that such banks appoint auditors from a panel approved by the Central Registrar of Cooperative
Societies. In addition, amendments to the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 provide that directors of Multi-
State Cooperative Banks cannot hold office for more than ten consecutive years, thereby creating
opportunities for new and younger leadership in cooperative institutions.
Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar further stated that cooperative societies are founded on cooperative principles,
which provide a strong framework for the development and strengthening of the cooperative movement.
These principles ensure that members contribute equitably and exercise democratic control over the
capital and functioning of cooperatives, enabling them to actively participate in policy formulation and
decision-making. Emphasising the need to strengthen public trust in the cooperative system, he underlined
that cooperative societies must develop transparent and accountable administrative structures. He said that
transparent and merit-based systems for recruitment as well as procurement of products and services are
essential so that cooperatives function as professionally managed institutions capable of contributing
meaningfully to the vision of a developed India.
The Minister of State for Cooperation also highlighted that following the amendments to the Multi-State
Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, the Government notified the appointment of a Cooperative Ombudsman
through a Gazette Notification dated 5 March 2024 to safeguard the interests of members of cooperative
societies. The Ombudsman examines complaints filed by members and also acts as the appellate authority
for appeals against the orders of Cooperative Information Officers of societies. He informed that more
than 38,000 complaints have been received so far, and a significant number of these grievances have been
addressed through orders passed by the Cooperative Ombudsman.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairperson of the Cooperative Election Authority Shri Devendra Kumar Singh
said that the Authority is now entering its third year of functioning and has gained valuable experience in
conducting elections across a wide range of cooperative institutions. He emphasised that cooperativesocieties operate on the principle of democratic member control, and therefore the electoral process must
remain transparent, participatory and credible.
The Chairperson underlined that clarity in the bye-laws of cooperative societies is essential to avoid
disputes during elections. He stressed the need for clearly defining aspects such as voting rights, active
membership and eligibility criteria for contesting elections, so that the electoral process remains fair and
free from ambiguity. He further stated that in large multi-state cooperative societies operating across
several states and districts, representation on the Board should reflect the diversity of membership and
remain truly representative of members’ interests.
Earlier in the day, two technical sessions were organised on the themes “Promoting Transparency through
Elections” and “Strengthening Purity and Integrity in Electoral Processes.” The sessions witnessed active
participation and meaningful deliberations among stakeholders on various aspects of cooperative election
management.
The seminar concluded with a collective resolve to further strengthen transparency, fairness and
democratic participation in cooperative elections, thereby reinforcing the cooperative movement as a key
pillar of India’s socio-economic development and advancing the Government’s vision of “Sahkar se
Samriddhi” and Viksit Bharat by 2047.
***
AKAP
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