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| Mahabir Jain. Picture by Eastern Projections |
Nov. 25: The region’s oldest and largest chamber of commerce, the city-based Kamrup Chamber of Commerce, today declared Mahabir Jain its president for the second consecutive year.
The announcement was made after 10 other contestants, including present KCC vice-president Vijay Gupta, who filed nomination papers to contest the post of president of the influential trade body, withdrew their papers yesterday.
The KCC has been without an elected body for about a decade after its then president, Shankar Birmiwal, was shot dead by the Ulfa in 1990. Jain revived the KCC after he was elected unopposed when no one else was willing to take up the post in 2001, at a time when the security threat to members was still grave.
Militants had assassinated another president ? G.L. Harlalka ? in the Eighties.
It was a repeat performance today, when the others withdrew.
“Given that all the others had withdrawn their papers, Jain was declared elected KCC president without a contest. The KCC will now go to the polls on Sunday to elect its 10 executive members,” an official said.
If the nomination papers of 10 contestants were not withdrawn, the KCC would have seen a direct election for the post of president. Hitherto, the elected executive members used to choose the president. The chamber recently amended its constitution for holding direct presidential elections.
Altogether 15 candidates are in the fray for 10 posts of executive members of the chamber.
The contestants are Anil Kumar Agarwal, Arun Kumar Agarwal, Bhusan Kumar Jain, Kishanlal Bidasaria, Manish Kumar Khatuwala, Nirmal Kumar Jain, Narayan Prasad Khakholia, Punam Kumar Taneja, Prakash Chandra Agarwal, Raj Kumar Ringania, Suresh Kumar Jain, Raj Kumar Mour, Sitaram Bihani, Sanjoy Kumar Mour and Vinode Jain.
The polling to elect the 10 executive members will be held at Agarwal Bibah Bhavan from 10.30 am to 2 pm on Sunday. Altogether 513 members of the KCC will take part in the election. Jain said he would take his second term as another opportunity to serve the people of the state.
