Pisharoty’s panel swept all office-bearer and managing committee posts, winning by a 21–0 margin in elections held on Saturday
Senior journalist Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty was elected the first woman president of the Press Club of India (PCI) on Sunday, a landmark moment for the organisation, the club said.
Pisharoty’s panel swept all office-bearer and managing committee posts, winning by a 21–0 margin in elections held on Saturday. The results were announced on Sunday evening at the PCI lawns by chief election commissioner M.M.C. Sharma and his team before a gathering of journalists.
Pisharoty secured 1,019 votes, defeating rivals Atul Mishra and Arun Sharma. Afzal Imam was elected secretary general, defeating Gyan Prakash, while Jatin Gandhi won the vice-president’s post with a decisive margin over Prahlad Singh Rajput.
Aditi Rajput was elected treasurer and P.R. Sunil joint secretary, both unopposed.
Pisharoty is a senior journalist who previously worked with The Wire and The Hindu newspaper. She is a native of Assam.
Several journalists and media leaders welcomed the result. Dhanya Rajendran, editor-in-chief of The News Minute and Chairperson of DIGIPUB News India Foundation, congratulated Pisharoty in a social media post, describing the election as historic and saying the Press Club was “lucky indeed” to have its first woman president.
Journalist Shams Tabraiz Qasmi, President, Cogito Media Foundation and editor of Millat Times, described the outcome as historic, saying the election of a woman president for the first time reflected the institution’s progress.
In a social media post, Qasmi, who is former member of the club’s management committee, congratulated the elected panel and said he hoped the PCI would further strengthen its role in raising journalists’ voices and safeguarding the club’s independence and dignity under Pisharoty’s leadership.
The 16-member managing committee elected includes Niraj Kumar, Abhishek Kumar Singh, Jahanvi Sen, Ashok Kaushik, Kallol Bhattacharjee, Praveen Jain, Agraj Pratap Singh, Manoj Sharma, Nyanima Basu, P.B. Suresh, V.P. Pandey, Prem Bahukhandi, Sneha Bhura, Javed Akhtar, Rezaul Hasan Laskar and Sunil Kumar.
“The election reflects the collective confidence of the Press Club of India members in our panel’s vision and long-standing commitment to upholding the values of free, fair and responsible journalism,” Pisharoty said after the results were announced.
Outgoing president Gautam Lahiri thanked members for their support and said the new leadership would continue efforts to make the club more inclusive, responsive and relevant to the challenges faced by journalists.
Neeraj Thakur, the outgoing secretary general of the PCI, said the election of the club’s first woman president was a powerful symbol of progress and a reaffirmation of its commitment to equality, diversity and democratic values.
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