Short Answer

Society elections under the Gujarat Cooperative Societies Act, 1961 are conducted by secret ballot.

Detailed Explanation

Section 73 of the Gujarat Cooperative Societies Act, 1961 mandates that elections of the committee of a cooperative society shall be conducted by secret ballot. This means that the voting process must maintain the secrecy of each member's choice to ensure a fair and transparent election. In practice, before the election, the society appoints an election officer who oversees the entire voting process. Members cast their votes in a confidential manner without revealing their choice to others.

In real-world scenarios, during society elections, members are provided with ballot papers where they mark their preferred candidates in private. These ballot papers are then collected, counted, and the results are declared based on the majority of votes received by each candidate. This process ensures that the election is conducted democratically and without any external influence.

A step-by-step process for conducting society elections by secret ballot involves appointing an election officer, issuing ballot papers, members casting their votes privately, collecting and counting the votes, and declaring the results based on the majority.

Practical Examples

• In a cooperative housing society, during the annual general body meeting, members are given ballot papers to elect the managing committee members by secret ballot.

• A cooperative credit society conducts its elections by providing members with individual voting booths to maintain the secrecy of their votes.

• A cooperative agricultural society ensures that the election officer supervises the entire voting process to uphold the principles of a fair election.

References

• Section 73 of the Gujarat Cooperative Societies Act, 1961: Official PDF