Handwara, Sept, 06: The Handwara Media Association (HMA) on Saturday conducted its annual body elections for the term 2025–26, witnessing a spirited contest among the members.
In a closely fought race, Aatif Qayoom was elected as President, securing 15 votes against Syed Kabeer Geelani, who secured 12 votes. For the post of Vice President, Syed Imtiyaz retained his position after defeating Shameem Bhat with the same margin of 15–12. Meanwhile, Aadil Akbar was unanimously elected as General Secretary, being declared unopposed.
Out of the total 27 members, 25 cast their votes offline while two exercised their franchise online, marking full participation in the electoral process.
This year’s elections reflected both continuity and change. Last year (2023–24), the presidential contest between Syed Kabeer Geelani and Dr. Tarique Raheem had ended in a tie, leading to a unique arrangement where both leaders shared the presidency in two equal terms—Mr. Geelani from December 21, 2023, to June 18, 2024, and Dr. Raheem from June 19 to December 20, 2024. In the same term, Syed Imtiyaz and Aadil Akbar had also secured the Vice President and General Secretary posts respectively. Their re-election this year reflects the trust and solidarity they continue to enjoy within the fraternity.
For Aatif Qayoom, this marks a return to leadership, having previously served as President in the 2022–23 term.
The election proceedings were overseen by the Election Commission of HMA, in the presence of government officials including Tehsildar Langate Mohammad Ismail, SHO Qalamabad Mohammad Ashraf, and several other dignitaries from the sub-district Handwara.
The newly elected body has pledged to work collectively for strengthening journalistic ethics, safeguarding press freedom, and addressing the concerns of media persons and the general public of Sub-District Handwara.
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