 |
|
|
• |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Browse by Organization |
|
 |
|
 |
| A decisive verdict TAMA elects new office bearers By Ravi R. Ponangi Atlanta, GA: Madhu Tata, Ravinder Reddy Allala and Venkat Veeraneni were elected with convincing margins as President, Vice-President and Secretary respectively in a keenly contested election for the Telugu Association of Metro Atlanta (TAMA) for 2010. The other members elected were Aluwal Reddy Seelam as Treasurer, Mahesh M. Pawar as Cultural Coordinator, Sunil Katepalli as Education Coordinator, Sandhya Yellapragada as Literary Coordinator, Suresh Babu Peddi as Media Coordinator and Varaprasad Yadana as Technology Coordinator. This was the first time in the history of TAMA that all the incumbent office bears were spurned by the voters due to their alleged acts of mismanagement, unethical practices, improprieties etc. As a matter of fact, TAMA was dragged into a legal wrangle and elections were held on December 6 under court directions. The campaign was acrimonious between the two panels, one headed by Madhu Tata and another by Tanuja Puvvada, the outgoing vice president. For the first time elections were closely contested no one was elected unopposed. Ravinder Reddy and Mahesh M. Pawar were the only two elected from the panel of Tanuja Puvvada. All other seven members were elected from Madhu Tata panel. Surprisingly all are new faces elected. No one hold any post earlier in TAMA executive. The campaign touched a new low and most of the community members were displeased with the turn of events. Since the Telugu Association of Metro Atlanta came into being in 1981, never has an election for office bearers aroused such excitement as December 6 general body gathering that took place at South Forsyth Middle School. Despite all the din and bustle, the election officers - Dr. Manga Raju Vanapalli, Ramakanth Rallapalli, Venkat Reddy and Surrender Mutyala ably conducted the election process without complaints from either side. Madhu Tata, the newly-elected TAMA president, flanked by other winners, told this reporter: It is incumbent upon us to protect the 30-year legacy of TAMA and Telugu community. As president of TAMA, I will work with executive committee to instill a firm commitment and accountability towards all members.
|