(1) All general meetings of a society excepting the first general meeting shall be convened by the Secretary or any other officer authorised by and under the bye-laws to convene such meetings under intimation to the Registrar, who may attend such meetings or authorise some person to attend such meetings on his behalf. The President of the society or in his absence the Vice President or, in the absence of both. a member elected by the members present at the meeting shall preside over the meeting unless the bye-laws specify that the President of the meeting should be elected by the meeting.
(2) No general meeting shall be held or proceeded with unless the number of members required to form a quorum as specified in the byelaws are present.
(3) The Secretary or any other officer convening the meeting shall read out the notice convening the meeting and the agenda for the meeting and then the subjects shall be taken up for consideration in the order in which they are mentioned in the agenda, unless the members present, with the permission of the President, agree to change the order. Unless otherwise specified in the Act, these rules and the bye-laws, the resolution Disqualification for membership of the committee.
First general meeting General meeting 36 will be passed by a majority of the members present. The President will have a casting vote.
(4) When the members are divided on any resolution any member may demand a poll. When a poll is demanded, the President shall put the resolution to vote.
(5) Unless otherwise provided in the bye-laws. a notice of the general meeting stating the place, date and hour, with a statement of business to be transacted, shall be sent to every member 15 clear days before the date of meeting.
(6) If all the business in the agenda cannot be transacted on the date on which the general meeting is held, the meeting may be postponed to the next following day.
(7) The remaining subject or subjects on the agenda shall be taken up for consideration at the postponed meeting.
(8) If the general meeting cannot be held for want of quorum, it shall be adjourned to a later hour on the same day as may have been specified in the notice calling the meeting or to a subsequent date not earlier than seven days and at such adjourned meeting the business on the agenda of the original meeting shall be transacted whether there is a quorum or not.
(9) No resolution regarding expulsion of a member of the society, removal of a member of the committee or amendment of bye-laws shall be brought forward in any general meeting, unless due notice thereof is given in accordance with the provisions of the Act, these rules and the bye-laws of the society.
61. “61. (1) (a) The election of members of the Committee of a society shall be held in the manner specified here-in-after.
(b)The Registrar or any other Officer authorised by him shall appoint one or more Election Officer as may be necessary for conducting the election of committee members and the election of President, Vice- President or any other office Bearer of the Society.
Provided that for the election of Credit Structure Society the election officer or officers shall be appointed by the present Board of Directors as they choose or from the panels as published by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies for the area of the said Society.
Further provided that if the present Board of Directors fails to make arrangement for the constitution of a new committee in accordance with the provision of the Act, Rules and bye-laws, 90 (ninety) days before the expiry of its term, the Registrar of Cooperative Societies shall arrange to hold such election with in a period of 60(sixty) days after the expiry of the terms of the present committee by appointing election officer at the cost of the society.
Election of members of the committee by the genera body of a society.
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(2) The election shall be held in the General Meeting of the society.
(3) The notice of the General Meeting under sub-rule (5 of rule 60 shall be sent by local delivery or by post or by publication through press and contain the following information —
(a) the date on which, the place at which and the hours between which the nomination papers shall be filed,
(b) the date on which, the place at which and hours between which the nomination papers shall be scrutinised,
(c) the date on which, the place at which and the hours between which voting shall take place,
(d) the place at which and the hours between which the electoral roll can be inspected by any member,
(e) The number of vacancies with class of members (if any) to be filled up by election and the area of the constituency from which members are to be elected (if for any area or constituency the election is held).
(4) (a) The Secretary or Manager or Managing Director or the Executive Officer or any other person responsible for the management of the affairs of society shall prepare the list of members on the roll with address who are qualified in accordance with the provisions of the Act, Rules and the Byelaws to participate in the elections as is stood 30 (Thirty) days prior to the date of election and publish copies of the same by affixing them to the Notice Board at the head office of the society and all its branches (if there b), 4 (four) weeks prior to the date fixed for election.
(b) Objections, if any, concerning anything published in the list, may be heard by the Election Officer and decide within 7 days of such publication and the final list shall be prepared and published.
(c) A copy of the final list published shall be supplied by the society to any member on payment of such fee as may be specified by the Registrar or any other person authorised by him.
(5) (a) The nomination of the candidate shall be made in form ‘X’ on the date fixed as mentioned in rule 61 (3) (a).
(b) Every nomination paper shall be signed by two members whose names are included in the final list of the electoral roll published for the purpose. One of the members shall sign in the form as proposer and the other as seconder for the nomination.
(c) The nomination paper shall contain a declaration signed by the candidate proposed for election to the effect that he is willing to stand for election.
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(d) Every nomination shall be presented to the Election Officer in person in the office of the society.
(6) (a) The Election Officer who received the nomination papers shall maintain a register in which all nomination papers shall be entered chronologically as soon as they are received and acknowledge the receipt, if demanded. No nomination paper shall be entered after specified date and time.
(b) At the expiry of time specified for the receipt of nomination paper, the Election Officer, shall draw up a horizontal line under the last nomination paper received and write under-neath “Nomination closed” and affix his signature with date.
(c) The Election Officer shall give all reasonable facilities to the contesting candidates to examine all nomination papers and raise objection.
(d) At the time of scrutiny, the Election Officer shall endorse his decision of acceptance or rejection on the nomination paper. In case of rejection, he shall record in writing briefly the reason for such rejection on the nomination paper.
(e) The Election Officer is the final authority as regards approval of the symbol or imposition of any symbol, which is binding on the candidate concerned. Provided that if the number of eligible candidates does not exceed the number of candidates to be elected, the Election Officer shall declare such eligible candidate to be duly elected.
(7) The list of valid nominations shall be published in the Notice Board of the Society or any other place as decided by the Election Officer immediately after scrutiny.
(8) Any candidate may withdraw his candidature by a letter in writing signed by him and delivered to the Election Officer seven days prior to the date fixed for general meeting by the candidate in person. The letter of withdrawal of a candidate once given shall be final.
(9) (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Rules or bye-laws of the society, the voting shall be by secret ballot as required under sub-section (2) of Section 65.
(b) The Election Officer shall maintain order in the election meeting and shall see that election is fairly conducted. For this purpose he may take the help of police assistance.
(10) The Secretary or the Manager or Managing Director or the Executive Officer or any other person responsible for the management of the affairs of the society shall provide the ballot boxes, ballot papers, copy of final electoral rolls and other articles as may be necessary for conducting the election.
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(11) There shall be a separate compartment to be known as Polling compartment screened from observation by others in which the members are to record their votes.
(12) No ballot paper shall be issued to a member unless the Election Officer or any person authorised by him is satisfied that the member concerned is the same person as noted in the electoral roll furnished to him.
(13)On receiving the ballot paper, a member shall forthwith proceed into the polling compartment, put a cross mark on the symbol/symbols of ballot papers against the name or names of the candidate or candidates for whom he desires to vote and insert paper into the ballot box kept before the Election Officer or any Officer authoriesed by him with the utmost secrecy.
(14) If owing to physical infirmity or illiteracy, a member is unable to mark the ballot paper, the Election Officer or any person presiding over the meeting shall ascertain from him, the candidate or candidates in whose favour he desires to vote, put the mark on his behalf and insert the ballot paper into the ballot box.
(15) No ballot paper shall be issued after the appointed closing hour but any voter who has received his ballot paper before that hour shall be allowed a reasonable opportunity to record his vote.
(16) An elector who inadvertently dealt with his ballot paper in such a manner that cannot be conveniently used as a ballot paper, may on delivering it to the Election Officer or any person authorised by him to preside over the meeting and satisfying him of the inadvertency the later shall together with its counter foil be marked as ‘Cancelled’ by the Election Officer or any person authorised by him to preside over the meeting who shall put his signature thereto.
(17) The counting of votes shall commence as soon as possible after voting is completed. Votes shall be counted by or under the supervision of Election Officer. Each candidate has a right to be present at the time of counting.
(18) A ballot paper shall be rejected by the Election Officer if — i) it bears the mark by which the member who voted can be identified or ii) it does not bear the seal of the society or iii) it does not bear the signature of the Election Officer or any O