After months of delays, Asiatic Society polls finally set for July 4

Polling will be held between 10am and 4pm at the society’s Mumbai office. Members have been asked to carry their valid membership identity cards while voting

Mumbai: After months of delays and legal battles, the Asiatic Society of Mumbai will finally head to the polls on July 4, with 45 candidates contesting for 19 seats in the institution’s governing body. The society has published its final voters’ list, declaring 2,530 members eligible to participate in the election.

Mumbai, India - May 29, 2023: An outside view of Asiatic Society Library, at Fort, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, May 29, 2023. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

Polling will be held between 10am and 4pm at the society’s Mumbai office. Members have been asked to carry their valid membership identity cards while voting.

This year’s election has attracted unusual attention due to the involvement of politically backed panels and a sharp increase in membership applications in recent years.

One panel is led by former Rajya Sabha member and BJP leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and has fielded 19 candidates. Another group is headed by senior journalist and former Congress Rajya Sabha member Kumar Ketkar, whose panel has fielded 13 candidates. A third panel led by R. Venkatesh is contesting independently with seven candidates.

The election was originally scheduled for November 7 last year but was postponed after multiple complaints and petitions were filed before the Charity Commissioner and the Bombay High Court. The disputes delayed the electoral process by several months.