From: cpjha
Subject: Our Team contests PDA claims
To: pdamumbai@gmail.com
Cc: clubpoll@gmail.com
Date: Monday, July 26, 2010, 11:48 PM
To,
Mr Sunil Shivdasani
Secretary-Elect
The Press Club, Mumbai
Dear Sunil ,
Please refer the message of July 26, 2010 that your team, Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) sent to your supporters (not me) in the Press Club Elections-2010. This message was forwarded to me by one of our common friend.
On behalf of Our Team, I appreciate your compliments for us for “putting up a good fight and keeping the election process clean and positive".
I am, however, sure that you would agree to my humble submission that the PDA message exaggerated its success by saying incorrectly that "most of our office bearers got more than the two-thirds of the votes".
I do acknowledge that all the contestants of the PDA won by a handsome margin. But you should not distort the verdict as none of your candidate won by "MORE THAN" two-thirds margin.
Your arithmetic is wrong, if I may be allowed to say so. All our candidates for the office bearers got 111 or even MORE THAN that out of 412 votes polled. Also, in the case of office bearers about a dozen of votes polled were declared invalid.
In this context the members may ask you why the PDA has fixation for such superlative narratives like " more than " when things could have been easily conveyed by words like 'close to " or "about " two-thirds votes.
Being a wordsmith (read journalist), you and me are expected to be very proper about facts and figures.Therefore, I request you to re-circulate this message among the members with amendment and a line of regret for making a taller claim than the factual reality.
To put things even more clear and prove that your figures are incorrect, I would also like to point out that your claim that “more than 50 percent of the electorate voted “in this election is not correct.
Out of about 850 voters only 412 voted and so the turnout of voters was certainly not “more than” but 'less than" 50 per cent.
With regards
CPJha (Membership No 388)
Our Team
C.P.Jha
Special Correspondent ,
UNI
Fax 022-22657661 Landlines 022-22656381 , 022-22654552 Mobile 9892016228
Enclosed: PDA message
From: Progressive Democratic Alliance
Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 3:22 PM
Subject: THANK YOU FOR THE CLEAN SWEEPTo:
Dear Member: You have made a record of sorts in the Press Club’s history by giving TEAM PDA a clean sweep of all 16 seats. We take this opportunity to thank all our voters and members for this landslide victory and for reposing your confidence once again in us.
The fact that more than 50 percent of the electorate voted on a day when Mumbai virtually shut down plagued by heavy rains, flooded roads, and delayed trains, shows your commitment to the democratic process.
You could have stayed at home, but took the trouble to ensure that the Club’s progress did not get derailed. While our Presidential candidate Gurbir Singh was elected unopposed, most of our office bearers got more than the two-thirds of the votes.
Yes, it is a clear vote for good administration and progress! You have endorsed the transformation of a debt-ridden balance sheet to healthy profits. You have endorsed the building of a world-class clubhouse. And you have applauded the completion of the Housing Scheme that has given 230 journalists homes in town.
The PDA team also takes this opportunity to thank the opposition team for putting up a good fight and keeping the election process clean and positive.
Dear Member, we will expect your continued support in the days to come. This means you must keep the flow of suggestions coming; and make sure you send us that critical note when you don’t agree with something. It’s the only way we can achieve the high benchmark we have set for ourselves.
Thank you once again!
TEAM PDA