MaSOA AGM: Let's go for election

A new dawn over Mantri Synergites
It is clear that the ad hoc committee doesn't have the endorsement of Mantri apartment owners. So an election is inevitable, to the management committee of Mantri Synergy Owners Association (Masoa).
Some flat owners, signing in as 'Group of Synergites' have group-emailed a panel of names for our consideration as candidates:
President - (Arvind Rajgopaul-H Block);
Vice-president - (Giri Sundaram-E);
Secretary - (Vasudevan Raghavan-B);
Treasurer - (Natarajan-E)
Present ad hoc committee:
T.P.Rajagoplan Nair-D (President);
R.Vasudevan-B (Vice President);
Ardhendu Chakraborti-F(Secretary);
R Gopalan-F (Treasurer)
Though there is no rule against it, an election on the basis of competing panels promotes group-ism. Which, I am sure, isn't the objective of Mantri Synergites. But their announcement of a panel of candidates makes them representatives of a group .And contesting groups in any poll fray mobilize support on the strength of competing agenda.
1) At Mantri Synergy we all belong to a single community, with a collective agenda. Groupism doesn't fit in with in our scheme of things, does it ?
2) Core office-bearers such as president and secretary, are not directly elected. The general body elects (maximum) a 20-member management committee - comprising block reps. - which, in turn, elects office-bearers - president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer. Such is my reading of by-law 13 relating to 'management of the affairs of the association'.
3) Incidentally, association by-laws (including b-law 13), need to be adopted before election can be held. And as per the circulated agenda for April 1 general body, the election process is to be handled by PropCare. The general body decides the date of election.
4) PropCare, which has till date handled election to 8 associations (all in Bangalore), has standardized format for election notification, filing of nominations, submission of proxy forms, and the balloting process. Links to PropCare model formats can be accessed at our post - Mantri residents association: Electable members.
5)PropCare can come into the picture, if, and only if, the general body of apartment owners want them to facilitate our election process. Is there any reason why we shouldn't let PropCare conduct the association election ?
6)Operative points here is a) election is inevitable; b) the date has to be notified on April 1; and c) PropCare may be asked to issue notification and handle rest of the election process.

At OMR Mantri's: After registration, what ?

It's a welcome development. And we owe it to Mr Vasudevan (B block), Mr A Chakraborti and Mr Krishna (both from F Block) for taking the trouble of making a trip to Chengalpet registrar's office on Feb.23 to complete the process of registration of Mantri apartment owners association. A letter specifying our registration number is expected (within 15 days) by March 7.
After registration I believe there is a statutory timeline within which a general body of apartment owners needs to be convened, to elect an 18-member management committee. March 18 is the date I heard being mentioned, though it has yet to be formally announced,by way of a circular from the ad hoc team.
It is to facilitate such communication, and to keep Mantri apartment owners (notably,those outside Chennai) informed of further development, a residents website is needed. A decision on this need not await the general body meet. I reckon we have already lost considerable time being indecisive. The professional portals can help us get a website up and running with a week.We have heard from two such portals, in response to our recent blog post. If we get a Mantri association website online by the first week of March, it will be immensely useful for residents to interact during the run-up to the March 18 general body meet.
March 18 would give us time enough to interact online, discuss, debate, and consider whether or not we want the current team to be elected to the association management committee. Incidentally, do we know who our ad hoc team members are ? All 18 of them ?
It would be helpful if a list of the team members, giving their names, Block/flat number, and phone/e-mail ID, is made available through a circular.It is something that should have been done earlier. As resident Madhumita Mohanty (C Block) wrote in this blog, in another context, 'committee members should let the residents know their contact details and how we may reach them. In case they are holding any meeting,the MoMs should be should be circulated'.
A circular with the list of ad hoc team members would enable residents to make informed choice between the current block reps. and the candidates, if any, who might wish to contest for association management committee. It is this newly elected committee that elects office-bearers - president, VP, general secretary and treasurer.
I believe Mantri's have a standard operating procedure that they follow in Bangalore, for facilitating the association's first election. They issue the election notice,act as returning officer verifying nominations submitted in a set format, and they also accept proxy forms from apartment owners deputing nominees to cast their votes.
We don't know what our core committee has in mind. It would be nice if those in charge on both sides - apartment owners and Mantri (PropCare) - set the election process in motion ASAP, so that we can meet to vote on March 18.