Sangeeta Barua Pisharoti has been elected the first woman president of the Press Club of India. His team won 21-0 in the elections held on 13 December. Pisharoti got 1019 votes, General Secretary Afzal Imam got 948 votes, Vice President Jatin Gandhi got 1029 votes. Neeraj Kumar is on top among the 16-member MC.
New Delhi. The Press Club of India (PCI) on Sunday elected Sangeeta Barua Pisharoti as its first woman president. This is a historic step towards gender representation and inclusive leadership of the club. In the elections held on 13 December, Barua’s team won a landslide 21-0 victory over all office-bearers and managing committee posts. Pisharoti won decisively by securing 1019 votes, while his rivals Atul Mishra and Arun Sharma got 129 and 89 votes respectively.
Afzal Imam got 948 votes for the post of General Secretary.
For the post of General Secretary, Afzal Imam secured 948 votes and easily defeated Gyan Prakash, who got 290 votes. Jatin Gandhi emerged victorious as the vice-presidential candidate by securing 1,029 votes, defeating rival Prahlad Singh Rajput by a margin of over 900 votes. Whereas, Aditi Rajput (Treasurer) and PR Sunil (Joint Secretary) were elected unopposed.
Neeraj Kumar tops the 16 member management committee
Press Club of India Chief Election Commissioner MMC Sharma and his team announced the results at a press conference at PCI Lawns in the evening. In the elections to the 16-member managing committee, Neeraj Kumar topped the list with 932 votes, followed by Abhishek Kumar Singh (911), Jhanvi Sen (903), Ashok Kaushik (892), Kallol Bhattacharjee (882), Praveen Jain (878), Agraj Pratap Singh (865), Manoj Sharma (861), Nayanma Basu (851), PB Suresh (838), VP Pandey (833), Prem Bahukhandi (831), Sneha Bhura (829), Javed Akhtar (823), Rezaul Hasan Laskar (781) and Sunil Kumar (780).
Who said what after registering victory?
“This election reflects the collective confidence of our panel of Press Club of India members in the vision and our long-standing commitment to upholding the values of independent, impartial and responsible journalism,” Pisharotti said after the results were announced. Outgoing President Gautam Lahiri thanked the members of the Press Club of India for their trust and support. He said the new team will continue to work to make the club more inclusive, accountable and relevant to the changing challenges facing journalists in India.
Press Club working as an important organization for journalists
Neeraj Thakur, outgoing PCI General Secretary, said, “The Press Club of India has served as an important body for journalists in the country and abroad since its inception. The election of its first woman President is a powerful symbol of progress. It reaffirms the Club’s commitment to equality, diversity and democratic values.