Doha: The current office bearers of the
Indian Embassy’s apex bodies in Qatar have been re-elected for a second term
following a closely contested election. A.P. Manikantan, Shanavas Bava, and
E.P. Abdul Rahman secured their positions as presidents of the Indian Cultural
Centre (ICC), Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF), and Indian Sports
Centre (ISC), respectively. The election, held on Friday, saw a high voter
turnout, with results announced within an hour of polls closing at 6 PM. The
election process, which included campaigns and debates, lasted for over a
month.
A.P. Manikantan, a prominent social and
cultural leader in Qatar, won a decisive victory for the ICC presidency. He
secured 1,222 votes, defeating his opponent Sheji Valiyakath by a margin of 523
votes. Manikantan, who is serving his third consecutive term, has been actively
involved in various cultural initiatives. Other key positions at ICC were also
filled, with Abraham Joseph, Nandini Abbagouni, Afzal Abdul Majeed, and
Shantanu Deshpande elected as managing committee members, while Pradeep Pillai,
Ravindra Prasad Subramanian, and Sandeep Sriram Reddy were selected as AO representatives.
Shanavas Bava retained his position as ICBF
president with a significant lead of 1,558 votes. Out of the 6,203 total votes
cast, he secured 3,856 votes, while his closest opponent, Sabith Zaheer,
received 2,298 votes. The ICBF, known for its welfare activities benefiting
Indian expatriates, will see Deepak Shetty, Jafar Thayyil, Nirmala Guru, and
Rasheed Ahmed joining as managing committee members, with Nizamuddin Khaja as
the AO representative.
In the ISC elections, E.P. Abdul Rahman emerged victorious with an overwhelming 70% of the total votes polled. He secured 1,155 votes, defeating his opponent Ashiq Ahmed, who received 493 votes. A well-known businessman and organizer, Abdul Rahman will lead the ISC in promoting sports and fitness initiatives among the Indian community. The ISC managing committee will include Abdul Basheer Tuwarikkal, Hamza Yusuf, Kavita Mahendran, and Deepak Chukkala, while Abdul Aseem will serve as the AO representative.
