Section 26

Section 26 of the Assam Co-operative Societies Act, 2007. Every member of a registered society and every ex-officio member of the Administrative Council or Managing Body of such society, unless under some temporary disqualification, shall have the right to attend any general meeting of the society and to exercise vote at such meeting.

(1) Every member of a registered society and every ex-officio member of the Administrative Council or Managing Body of such society, unless under some temporary disqualification, shall have the right to attend any general meeting of the society and to exercise vote at such meeting.

(2) No member of a cooperative society shall exercise the right of a member including the right of vote unless he has made such payment to the cooperative society in respect of membership or has acquired and continues to have such interest in the cooperative society as may be specified in the bye-laws.

(3) The Chief Executive of every cooperative society within twenty days of closure of the previous cooperative year, shall prepare a list of members with the right of vote, and a list of members without the right of vote ,valid for the current financial year. The list shall be affixed on the notice board of the head office of the cooperative society for information of all members and any member not satisfied with specific instances of inclusion or non-inclusion of members in the lists, may appeal to the Board within ten days from the date of the affixing of the lists on the notice board, for re-examination of the records, and the Board shall within forty days of closure of the previous cooperative year, review the lists, finalise it, and have it affixed on the notice board of the head office of the cooperative society:

Provided that a member who is an employee or member of Employees Union of such society shall not be entitled to vote - (i) at the election of a member of the Board of such society;

(ii) in any general meeting convened for framing the bye-laws of such society or any amendments thereto. In the case of equality of votes the Chairperson shall have a casting vote.

(4) 27 (1) In primary cooperatives societies, irrespective of the shares held in the society and subject to temporary disqualification ,each member shall have equal voting right (one member one vote). Similarly in case of Secondary Cooperative Society, the representative of such cooperative society shall have same voting rights (one representative one vote). Every member of cooperative society or the representative referred herein shall exercise his vote in person and in the manner specified in the bye-laws and no member or representative shall be permitted to vote by proxy :

Provided that a person shall have been a member for at least one full financial year, before being eligible to vote or to seek election to managing body:

Provided further that the condition of one year membership shall not apply to the members who join at registration or at any time after the registration of a cooperative society but before the first day of the next co-operative year.

(2) Every member of a cooperative society shall exercise his vote in the manner specified in the bye-laws.

Section 26, The Assam Co-operative Societies Act, 2007 (Act 4 of 2012).