UP journalists to elect executive panel on Sunday

Virendra Singh Rawat

Lucknow / Mar 19, 2021

Amidst the hustle bustle of impending general elections in West Bengal and panchayat polls in Uttar Pradesh, the coming UP accredited journalists’ polls in Lucknow has emerged as a true show stealer.

The Fourth Estate panel aspirants have deployed all the quintessential poll campaigning tools and tactics to garner votes in their favour. These comprise catchy social media posts, pithy jingles, colourful hand bills/cards, bulk SMS and making ‘humble’ personal visits or phone calls to their brethren.

The polls, the voting of which is scheduled for Sunday (Mar 21), will elect the executive body of the UP Accredited Journalists Association, which currently has 860 members representing different state, national and international level newspapers, news channels, news agencies apart from independent and veteran journalists of the state.

An election committee comprising seasoned journalists has already been constituted to oversee the entire process and ensure transparency. The elected panel numbering 23 will comprise a president and a secretary, supported by three vice presidents, three joint secretaries, a treasurer and 14 members.

This time, 85 male and female candidates, who make up for nearly 10 per cent of the strength of the Association, are in fray. While some candidates have been contesting and winning over the past several years, there are a number of fresh candidates trying their luck this time round.

These elections were due last year, but were postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown.

The panel is expected to serve as an interface between the state government and the media fraternity for creating a conducive environment for free and fair reportage and also raising issues of interests of the media persons.

According to a senior journalist, the state capital has a rich tradition of holding elections to elect the august panel. “The elections are being held since the 1950s, although the role of the panel was limited earlier. It was basically elected to ensure there was no clash of timings between two important press conferences or events for coverage.”