Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan president poll on Oct 26

Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Aug 11 (UNI) The 81st president of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan will be chosen here on October 26, announced the chief of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal Dr Kautikrao Thale today.

Addressing a news conference here, Mr Thale and the returning officer, Dr Chandradeo Kawade, said a voters' list was published today, in which the names of total 792 voters have been recorded.

They said apart from four main constituents of the Mahamandal -- Marathwada Sahitya Parishad, Sahitya Parishad Pune, Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh and Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh -- the voters from Marathi literary bodies belonging to five neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Goa will also participate in the election. The five bodies include Marathi Sahitya Parishad (Hyderabad), Karnataka Sahitya Parishad (Gulbarga), Chhattisgarh Marathi Sahitya Parishad Bilaspur, Madhya Pradesh Marathi Sahitya Parishad (Bhopal) and Gomantak Sahitya Sevak Mandal (Goa).

Ten members from Marathi Wangmayin Parishad (Baroda), 15 former Sammelan presidents, seven trustees and convenor institutions with 60 votes (that is Sangli's Jeevan Vikas Sanstha) would participate in the election. The voters are supposed to send their ballot papers to the returning officer by October 25.

According to the election programme, names of candidates in the fray would be published on September 1, the last date for withdrawal of nomination is September 10, when the final list would be announced.

The date for the Sammelan, to be held at Sangli, has not been decided as yet, Mr Thale added.

UNI