Big Twist: ‘MAA Elections’ can further be delayed

MAA elections are taking a new twist with each passing day. Till now, the headlines are only about the presidential contestants. Now, it shifted to the election dates. As per the latest buzz, it is being heard that the elections may not be held in September as planned and may get pushed to a further date.

Generally, MAA elections are held every two years, in the month of March. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it didn’t happen in March this year. In April, actor Prakash Raj wrote a letter to MAA asking about the elections. Then the committee replied to him that the polls will be held in September, as per the resolution passed in 2019.

Soon, Prakash Raj announced his panel. Following him, Manchu Vishnu, Jeevitha Rajashekhar, and Hema also joined the race. On the other side, a few members of MAA wrote letters to the board asking about the tenure of the working board. As per the statement of the legal advisor, “According to the TS Societies Registration Act 2001, a working board can be elected for a maximum period of six years. Nowhere in the bylaws, it is stated that the working committee should continue for a certain period of time. According to the 28-year-tradition, a new board will be elected only after the elections are held. The current board will have full powers until the new board takes charge.” Indirectly, the legal advisor prompted that a working board can continue its tenure for six years, under the Societies Act. Apparently, the same information has been passed on to the MAA members.

If we go by this law, there is no need of holding elections every two years. Additionally, it is heard that the resolution is passed in the Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) in 2019 without the interference of the Executive Committee. The legal advisor also opined that this resolution may not be valid as it is not taken by the Executive Committee. As the resolution is not valid, there is no compulsion of conduction elections in September.

The Executive Committee is supposed to meet on July 9th regarding this year’s elections. But that meeting may not happen because a few members of the MAA office have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, a member of MAA spoke to a media daily and said, “It is up to EC to decide when the elections will be held. If the meeting doesn’t happen, there will not be any clarity about polling dates.”

On the flip side, even Prakash Raj questioned about polling dates by tweeting, “When are the elections?” the other day. Considering all these factors, it looks like MAA elections may not happen in September as expected.