Neither forward…Nor change
With the results of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) elections declared yesterday, there was no clear winner between the two contesting groups. However, the association may end up losing if the already existing rift deepens.
In the last leadership team that was headed by Pronab Sarkar, the erstwhile President of the association, the difference in opinion between certain Office Bearers resulted in many flare-ups. The tension extended to this election as the two contesting groups left no stone unturned to accuse each other of incompetence.
E M Najeeb (Air Travel Enterprises) who emerged victorious for the post of Senior Vice President representing Team For Change said that he is going to press for changes in the association that were mentioned in their manifesto.
“In the past for the sake of the organization’s integrity, we didn’t openly raise matters that could create conflicts. However, this time we are going to push hard for our objectives as mentioned in the manifesto. And if it is not accepted by the EC, then we are going to inform our members,” said Najeeb.
In the run-up to the elections, Team For Change had promised to implement the much-delayed amendment in the constitution of IATO if voted to power.
In a closely fought contest, Rajiv Mehra (Uday Tours & Travels) heading Team Forward was elected as the President of the association. Mehra who was pitched against Lally Mathews (Divine Voyages) drew 167 votes out of the total 322 votes that were casted. Mathews heading Team For Change drew 155 votes.
Mehra said, “Even though the mandate is fractured, we have to move forward as one group. Revival and survival of our members are going to be a few of my priority areas. I am hopeful that the government will consider our concerns that have emerged post-pandemic.”
The other candidates from Team Moving Forward who won the elections included Ravi Gosain (Erco Travels) for the post of Vice President and Rajnish Kaishta(Paradise Holidays India) for the post of Hony. Secretary. Deepak Bhatnagar(Aamantran Travel Company) and Manoj Kumar Matta (Oriental Vacations & Journey) were elected as EC Members – Active from Team Moving Forward. Zia Siddiqui (Alliance Hotels & Resorts) and Ashok Dhoot (Harsh Travels) won for the posts of EC Members – Allied from the group.
In the other results, Sunil Mishra (Cosmos Tours & Travels) contesting from Team For Change was elected as the Hony. Treasurer and Sanjay Razdan (Razdan Holidays) emerged victorious for the post of Hony. Joint Secretary from the group.
Harish Mathur (Concord Travels & Tours), Tony Marwah (Indian Travels Promotion Company) and Vishal Yadav (Incredible Destination Management Service) were elected as EC Members – Active from Team For Change. P Vijayasarathy(Benchmark Hotels) was elected for the post of EC Member – Allied from the team. Homa Mistry, CEO, Trail Blazer Tours India was the Returning Officer for the election.
IATO’s elections for the period 2021-2023 saw a record turnout with 322 votes being casted out of the total 352 votes. However, it will be interesting to see if the newly elected leadership can leave differences aside and work for the benefit of its membership.