Ramesh Pisharody calls for by-law amendments in AMMA: Some members who voted for me felt their votes were wasted

Actor Ramesh Pisharody has raised concerns with the newly elected leadership of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) regarding procedural issues in their recent elections. In his letter, Pisharody highlighted the necessity for amending the association's by-laws to prevent such occurrences in the future and to safeguard the integrity of the democratic process.

Actor Ramesh Pisharody recently voiced his concerns to the newly elected leadership of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists ( AMMA ) regarding certain technicalities in the election process . In his letter, Pisharody emphasized the need for amendments to the association's by-laws to avoid similar issues in the future and to ensure that the democratic process is upheld. Pisharody highlighted that in a democratic election, the candidate with the most votes should be declared the winner, which was not the case in the recent AMMA elections. Despite winning the required number of votes, Pisharody was not selected for the executive committee. This discrepancy arose due to a bylaw stipulating that at least four women must be included in the committee. Consequently, even though the women candidates did not secure enough votes, they were included to meet the reservation criteria, leading to Pisharody's exclusion. "I am officially reaching out to the newly elected leadership of the association to highlight a significant issue with the election process. In a true democratic election, the candidate who receives the most votes should be declared the winner, as this reflects the genuine choice of the people." Pisharody stated this in his letter. He added that excluding a candidate who secured more votes to include someone with fewer votes undermines the principle of reflecting popular opinion. Pisharody expressed his lack of complaints about the situation but noted that some members who voted for him felt their votes were wasted. "Some members who voted for me felt their votes were wasted. I couldn't offer them any explanation when they expressed their displeasure," he wrote. He also pointed out that the association’s leadership failed to clarify this issue in the press release, leading to media reports that inaccurately portrayed him as having lost the election. To resolve this issue, Pisharody suggested amending the by-laws to reserve four seats exclusively for women. “The easiest way to implement the reservation is to reserve four seats for women. Male members shouldn’t be allowed to contest those seats,” he proposed. He acknowledged that, while such complications might not have arisen if a woman had won the election, making these changes would ensure democracy is implemented in its truest sense. Pisharody clarified that his letter was not a complaint but an effort to point out a technical problem that needs addressing. He stressed the importance of women's reservation while ensuring the election process remains fair and democratic. “I would have raised this issue even if I were elected to the committee and someone else had faced such a situation. This letter is not a complaint or a grievance, but just pointing out a technical problem that needs to be fixed,” he explained. In conclusion, Pisharody congratulated all the winners and expressed his gratitude to everyone who voted for him.