BPP election schedule

Elections for the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trusteeship seat vacated by Noshir Dadrawala have been slated for three consecutive weekends beginning June 19 and ending July 3. WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) has already announced the candidature of Anahita Desai, wife of sitting BPP trustee Yazdi Desai in the WAPIZ Page of The Free Press Journal of May 6, 2011. Her candidature was proposed by WAPIZ founder trustee and noted tax lawyer Homi Ranina. Desai and other contesting candidates will have to file their nominations by May 17, 2011.

Zarir Bhathena (left) and Anahita Desai: contenders both

Real estate developer and chartered accountant Zarir Bhathena will stand against Desai. BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta in response to a query as to whether he would support Bhathena’s candidature replied "absolutely,” while Dadra­wala noted Bhathena "is knowledgeable and well connected and has sound knowledge on housing matters.”

The schedule for the election, in the form of a public notice signed by Mehli P. Colah, chief executive officer, appeared in The Bombay Samachar and the Jam-e-Jamshed Weekly of May 8, 2011. As per the notice, voters have been given the option to exercise their franchise at any of five centers: Khareghat Colony, Hughes Road on June 19; Cusrow Baug, Colaba on June 25; Rustom Baug, Byculla on June 26; Dadar Parsi Gymkhana on July 2; and Bharucha Baug in Andheri on July 3, 2011. By July 7 the scrutinizer and president will declare the results which will be posted on the BPP notice board on the same day and on the following day the name of the new BPP trustee will be announced in the newspapers.

Nomination forms for candidates were to be issued and accepted from May 9, the last date for filing nominations being May 17 and that for withdrawal of nominations, May 25. Names of the candidates will be published in the newspapers on May 29. Each nomination form is to be accompanied by a cash deposit of Rs 5,000, a sum which will stand forfeited should the candidate secure less than five percent of the total votes cast, the notice states.

The final list of voters on both the general and donor registers will be available on May 9 and may also be verified on the website www.bppvoterlist.org. Though the registers have been frozen as of April 26, if any voter certificate has been lost or destroyed, registered members may apply on or before June 16 for a duplicate certificate in a prescribed form along with a payment of Rs 10. The notice is emphatic that no applications for duplicate certificates will be entertained thereaft