Bitter election battle set to decide future of Mumbai’s Asiatic Society
A first in the history of this storied institution, Saturday’s election will see two sharply contrasting contenders vying for the top post
Niraj Pandit and Sabah Virani
MUMBAI: The Asiatic Society of Mumbai (ASM), long seen as a bastion of scholarship, is witnessing an election battle unlike anything in its history.
Around 1,400 people have applied for membership this year – an unprecedented number for an institution that has remained constant at around 3,000 for the last few years – hoping to swing the vote one of two ways. All will be known on Saturday, when members cast their ballot to decide on the 221-year-old institution’s future.
Two contenders are facing off for the post of president. One is Kumar Ketkar – author, senior journalist and former Rajya Sabha member. He’s running on the “Save Asiatic Society” plank. The other is a seasoned politician, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, former Rajya Sabha MP and national vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party from 2014 to 2020. His pitch? “Restore the Glory, Rewrite the Story”.
Both sides are fielding panels for other positions that are open – four vice-presidents, honorary secretary and six managing committee members.
Two e-brochures with the list of contesting candidates – including stalwarts and intellectuals such as AD Sawant, Arjun Dangle, Deepak Pawar, Nitish Bharadwaj and Sanjay Deshmukh – have been circulating in members’ inboxes.
“Our objective is clear and dedicated: to uphold the glorious traditions of this great heritage institution while ushering in thoughtful modernisation that reflects the ideas and inspirations of the present century,” said Ketkar, a member of the ASM for three decades, and currently serving on the managing committee. Ketkar hopes to open the Asiatic Society’s doors to world-class minds, philosophers, artists, adventurers and thinkers.
Vice-president of the Asiatic Society between 2013 and 2015, Sahasrabuddhe spoke on similar lines. “The Asiatic Society needs fresh energy to carry its legacy forward in the modern age. Our team plans to strengthen the society’s finances, address staff-related issues, and ensure the scientific preservation of archives through global research collaborations. We aim to free the Society from political influence and make it more globally recognised,” he told HT.
For an election that typically has around 150 people showing up to cast their votes, the upcoming polls come with much controversy. In the six months leading up to the AGM, the ASM saw membership quickly climb by around 400, rumoured to be an attempt by one faction to influence the election results. When this became public, the opposing faction flooded the Society’s register with an additional 1,000-odd members.
Then, the October 15 cut-off date for new members eligible to vote was contested by two members before the charity commissioner. They asked for extra scrutiny, which was granted by the charity commissioner, who fixed October 3 as the cut-off.
The matter escalated, when two other members appealed against this directive in the Bombay High Court. They argued in favour of an October 15 cut-off date. The hearing on this is expected on Thursday.
Next, on Wednesday, a few candidates filed a complaint with the returning officer for the election, alleging that the October 3 voters’ list was missing 300-odd members.
“Institutions like the Asiatic Society need to be kept away from malicious interference, and we hope members have an informed opinion on the election,” said Dhananjay Shinde, an ASM member.
Uday Narkar, playwright and author, who is not a member but has been observing the proceedings from the sidelines, told HT, “It seems that a certain kind of pressure has descended on the institute, similar to the kind of interference from the powers that be in several other institutions in the country. The campaign to get Trojan horses into Asiatic, just like it happens in sugar factory elections, has got people who are actually invested in the institute worried. Two contradictory things are ongoing: the Asiatic Society’s 3,000-odd members are largely dormant and inactive, and now a large influx of members has joined – but with different intentions.”