• March 30, 2019

Vote rigging alleged in UUKMA elections, opposing faction to approach court to cancel results

UUKMA South East Press Note

BIRMINGHAM March 30: UUKMA (Union of UK Malayalee Associations) elections were held on March 9, 2019 at the St Edmund Campion Catholic School in Birmingham. UUKMA is an umbrella organisation which has affiliation of majority of the UK Malayalee associations scattered all over the UK and thus the elections are hotly contested once in two years.

The elections went ahead and a panel were elected to run the organisation for the next two years. However, now the opposing faction has come out issuing a press note alleging that there was malpractices during the elections. And as a result the opposing panel have threatened to appraoch court to have the results cancelled.

UUKMA over the years have been driven by some very forward looking UK Malayalees and thus the organisation was able to secure a place among the community. However, the latest incident is sure to have set deep divisions within the UUKMA management committee and members and possibly it will be the beginning of the end to a joint functioning of the organisation.

Some of the arguments put forward by the opposing faction are below:

It took the election panel seven hours to count 239 votes and was announced only at 1am

It was registered as there were 240 votes registered when there was only 239 voters

English body guards were used to to conduct the general body meeting

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The present officer bearers are:

Manoj Kumar Pillai (President), Alex Varghese (General Secretary), Aneesh George (Treasurer), Eby Sebastian (Vice-President), Litty Gijo (Vice President), Salina Sajeev (Joint Secretary), Sajan Sathyan (Joint Secretary), Titto Thomas (Joint Treasurer)

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