TNGDA elections contestants to notice certain rules

Dear doctors TNGDA elections are contemplated in all districts in november 2009 for two year tenure. Most districts had elected only few interested doctors repeatedly because many are not willing to do any service to fellow doctors but they would be fierce critics in meeting. We want many doctors to contest/vote in elections so that TNGDA would represent the views of majority and many category of members. We defenitely need certain spare time to be district office bearers. We need good hearts to spend some time to serve as district/state office holders other wise we can not even handle our day to day problems to even at JD/DD/Dean level. More over many new faces along with experienced people would improve our association in many ways. Hence it is good to have doctors from DPH/DMS/DME as well as from junior and senior doctors equally in State Executive Committee then only all problems would be discussed and addressed adequately.
Most new doctors are discouraged from contesting TNGDA election citing various rules and prevented from voting citing various reasons in few places. One thing we have to remeber when we started our pay struggle, we appealed to all including 10A1 & SCS doctors and most of them came forward to fight their rightful cause along with TNGDA. We did not classify them members/ nonmembers, juniors/senior civil surgeons. A section of new recruits may not understand the importance of TNGDA as this is the only recognised association to fight for TN Govt doctors . But many districts routinely allow them to vote in elections and all of them become members at the election time. Many district office bearers won't give bylaw copy to the new members when they join association and keep them away as a secret document. It is not good for a democtratically run asssociation to ignore bylaw and rules and keep their members ignorant of bylaw of association. Once a new person comes forward to contest elections, we cite a rule or two to disqualify them, but what happens at the end, interested new member loses enthusiasm and same past office bearers continue. If one has served the post up to the minimum expection of ordinary members, they would always choose that person only. After all a TNGDA office bearer loses his precious time in association compromising family and practice. But to improve association and growth of TNGDA, we need to involve all category of doctors and motivate them for association activities. Election is one such instrument to involve all members and we can consider their votes as an approval of any service done to them by contestants.
On the other side of the story, no body can contest in any election in any forum, unless he/she is a valid member. New Members who wish to contest elections should first ensure that they have obtained membership by registering (1000 rs for registration) and keeping the membership card with membership number and they should have paid regular annual subscription ( 200 per year). Unlike IMA we don't have life membership as many doctors think that by paying 1000 rs once, they have become life members and need not pay any subscription. Many distircts are unable to collect annual subscription because members are not paying them regularly and aviod meeting the office bearer collecting subscription ignoring the fact that he is doing that on behalf of TNGDA. So any contestant should ensure that they have paid all annual subscriptions till date and proposer and seconder who have signed their nomination, should also ensure memship details and subscriptions till date for their candidate get through scrutiny of nomination form. For that matter, membership registration in any district throughout Tamilnadu is enough to contest in any district provided member has paid annual subscriptions in that contesting district for the period served there. There is no fixed date or month uniformly throughout state for collecting annual subscription hence pay subscription in that particular district to aviod disqualification. One can nominate for two posts but he can contest only one post hence if one fails to withdraw any one of the two nominations both forms may get rejected. One has to ensure this to avoid disqualification. If possible get a bylaw copy available with district office bearers, read them thoroughly and then file your nomination. Please participate in General Body meeting conducted before elections because GB may extend the present office bearers for another two year period provided 2/3 or more members of total members in GB majority passed that resolution for extention of tenure.