The opportunity to evaluate the quality of community leadership mostly occurs when elections are held. The rest of the time the public does not see or hear much from their leadership. Only those anjumans/associations that are truly democratic and candid keep their electorate informed of their activities and objectives. For major community centers there are usually more contestants than seats available. But for some of the smaller towns, the number of contestants is less. If the number is marginally more, some contestants are persuaded to withdraw their candidature to avoid the expense and administrative bother of holding an election. If unable to do so, elections are conducted.
Many of the election schemes are archaic and usually discriminatory towards women. At one time Parsi women who had married non-Parsis were barred from voting at Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) elections. The number of women trustees who could serve at one time was restricted to two on the seven-member board. Even the concept of universal adult franchise (UAF) was unheard of. It was only in 2008 that the first BPP election under UAF was held.
When the BPP was initially formed around 350 years ago, the general body of the community selected or approved of the nominees for trusteeship. But this custom fell into disuse. Trustees began nominating incoming trustees, as is the custom in most trusts. Later it became almost hereditary. In 1908, in the famous Parsi Punchayet case, the concept of elections with a limited franchise was formulated by the Bombay High Court. Over the years the BPP election scheme has undergone regular upgrades to make it more equitable and fair. A socially conscious citizenry with the assistance of an enlightened judiciary made these reforms/amendments a possibility. There are, of course, still those who try to sabotage the scheme to extend their term in office. But insightful and equitable judges have negated such efforts and ensured that free and fair elections are duly held.
Many anjumans, however, have not updated their election schemes. Several still bar women from voting or standing for office. Most, if not all, have no limit on the number of years a trustee can stand for office. This, of course, is the norm for most trusts where trustees are appointed, normally for life. So there is no uniformity in the selection of trustees for anjumans.
In North America (NA), the Zoroastrian associations have been established in the last 50 years or so and their election schemes are more up-to-date and democratic. The laws of the land do not permit discrimination on the basis of gender or ethnicity. Any Zoroastrian over 18 or 21 can vote and more importantly most place a restriction on the number of terms/years an elected committee member can serve. The benefits of the NA systems are reflected in the dynamic functioning of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) which meets regularly and even met online during the pandemic. By contrast The Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) has met only once in the past five years with primarily anjumans located nearby to Bombay in attendance. The North, East and South of India are underrepresented or not at all represented. As a result the status of the communities elsewhere is not known. The all-India body today has no representation or voice in the country. FPZAI has been systematically decimated by certain BPP trustees over the past 20 years, largely because they wanted to stymie the formation of a representative world body. Their primary concern and that of other traditionalist anjumans was that overseas associations whose membership included the children of Parsi women married to non Parsis would become members, thereby diluting Parsipanu. Finally, as a compromise, the Global Council of Zoroastrians Trust was formed.
Due to public notices in the Parsi Press we know that the Iranian Zoroastrian Anjuman (IZA) held elections for five seats of their Bombay constituency on September 29, 2024 (see "IZA elections,” Events and Personalities, pg 18). In addition, representatives are elected from 23 villages/towns of Iran from where migrants settled in India; 12 other members are co-opted. The general committee comprises around 43, including trustees, patrons, etc. For some seats reserved for the village representatives, there are no contestants. The IZA Bombay voter list comprises 1,190 names of which about 50% are presumed dead, say sources. At the September 29 election, 126 voters turned up. The Irani Zoroastrian population is estimated at around 5,000 but this is a dubious figure, as is the estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Parsi population in Poona. Years back the census placed the Poona figure at around 3,000 which, allowing for the rate of attrition, must be closer to 1,700-2,000.
Around 500 to 600 voted in the Poona Parsee Panchayat (PPP) election in 2019. With no functioning board of trustees following the resignation of three trustees and the dissolution of the board in January 2023, around 27 flats are lying vacant and awaiting allocation, assuming there are so many applicants. Even when the board was functioning there were several unoccupied flats. Parsis living in PPP housing are ineligible to vote or stand for election.
If this had been the case in Bombay, hardly any voters would exist. And as people living elsewhere dispose of their flats and move into BPP housing on account of the lower prices, security, comfort, sylvan surroundings and parking within a gated community enclave, the number of voters would further dwindle. On the current seven-member board, three trustees reside in BPP colonies managed by the Wadia committee.
The PPP elections for trusteeship scheduled for this October 20 has 10 contestants for seven seats. Whether they will hold campaign meets or issue manifestos is unknown. In a smaller anjuman, word of mouth and social media can be the determining factor. Some claim the candidates are aligned with certain groups so the voting may follow that pattern.
The number of voters and the number of contestants like everywhere else in the community is dwindling. People used to complain about politicking. Now they have to be grateful that elections are even being held and that there are candidates seeking votes who hopefully will serve their full term in office.