Chennai Press Club poll, held after 25 years, witnesses record voter turnout of 91.27%

The newly elected office-bearers of the Chennai Press Club managing committee with the Election Officer Justice (retd.) V. Bharathidasan on Sunday. Also seen are veteran journalist N. Ram and members of Chennai Press Club Special Guidance Committee.
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

The election to the managing committee of the Chennai Press Club, held after 25 years on Sunday, witnessed a record voter turnout of 91.27% with 1,371 members casting their votes.

Election to the club was last held in 1999.

Enthusiastic voting

Members of the club turned up enthusiastically to cast their votes in the election, held between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., to the posts of a president, two vice-presidents, a general secretary, a treasurer, a joint secretary and five committee members.

A total of 44 candidates were in the fray for various posts.

Oldest voter

V.N. Swami, 95, the oldest member of the club, came all the way from Madurai to cast his vote. Justice V. Bharathidasan, retired judge of the Madras High Court, who was appointed as the Election Officer by the Chennai Press Club Special Guidance Committee, conducted the election. He was assisted by Assistant Election Officers P.E. Pandiarajan and Lakshmipriya Muthuramalingam.

Earlier in the day, the Special Guidance Committee members, including veteran journalist N. Ram, met the election officer before the start of polling.

The newly-elected Chennai Press Club managing committee office-bearers are M. Suresh Vedhanayagam (Dinakaran) as president; J. Madhan (News 18 Tamil Nadu) and K. Sundhara Bharathi (Puthiya Thalaimurai TV) as vice-presidents; M. Haseef (a freelancer) as general secretary; S. Manikandan (Jaya TV) as treasurer; Nelson Xavier (One India Tamil) as joint secretary, and Akhila Easwaran (The Hindu), S. Palanivel (Polimer TV), M. Vijaya Gopal (ANI), P. Stalin (Puthiya Thalaimurai TV) and M. Gavaskar (Theekkathir) as committee members.

The election officer handed over the certificates to the newly-elected office-bearers.

Mr. Ram thanked the election officer and his team, and senior counsel P. Wilson, lawyer Richardson Wilson and their team for successfully handling the cases filed against the conduct of election.