3 weeks ago
Calcutta Club elects Anusua Das as second consecutive woman president
The Calcutta Club is a very old members' club that is 119 years old.
For a long time, only men could be members.
In 2007, the club started letting women join as individual members.
Every year, members vote to pick a leader, called the president.
This year, the members chose Anusua Das, a woman who runs an IT company.
Her father was also the club's president a long time ago.
Last year, the club chose its very first woman president, Kasturi Raha.
Now a woman is president two years in a row.
The first voting day had computer problems, and some members said their votes were recorded wrongly.
The club held the voting again on a new day, and this time everything went smoothly.
Anusua Das, 52, was elected unopposed as president of the 119-year-old Calcutta Club, making her the second consecutive woman to lead it.
The article headline calls her the club's "second-youngest" woman president, while the article text says she is its "youngest president ever," a discrepancy in the reporting.
Kasturi Raha, a businesswoman, became the club's first woman president in 2025; the club, long a "male bastion," admitted individual women members only from 2007.
The original annual general meeting, slated for July 31, was suspended over technical glitches after members complained that acknowledgement emails did not match the candidates they selected.
Polling was outsourced to a fintech company, and the rescheduled August 7 AGM ran smoothly according to Raha; the new committee has 11 members.
- Who
- Anusua Das, a 52-year-old who runs an IT services firm, elected unopposed as Calcutta Club president; she follows Kasturi Raha, the club's first woman president in 2025.
- What
- Das became the second consecutive woman to lead the 119-year-old Calcutta Club, which only admitted individual women members from 2007.
- Where
- At the Calcutta Club, described as one of the city's venerable social institutions (Kolkata, India).
- When
- At the rescheduled annual general meeting on Friday, August 7, after the original July 31 meeting was suspended due to technical glitches.
- Why
- The election followed complaints about voting discrepancies and a suspended first polling attempt; Das ran uncontested, giving the club a woman president for a second straight year.
Members Flagging Voting Discrepancies
Officials Citing Technical Glitches
Voting process integrity
Members Flagging Voting Discrepancies
Several members complained that the acknowledgement emails they received after voting did not match the candidates they had selected, suggesting discrepancies in the voting process.
Officials Citing Technical Glitches
Officials said polling was suspended over technical glitches, and the fintech company that conducted the polling promised to rectify the errors; Raha later said the rescheduled polls ran smoothly with no hindrance.
Key facts
- President elected
- Anusua Das (unopposed)
- Club age
- 119 years
- Das's age
- 52
- First woman president
- Kasturi Raha (2025)
- Women admitted as members
- Since 2007
- New committee size
- 11 members
- AGM date
- Rescheduled to Friday, August 7 (original July 31 suspended)
Quotes
Kasturi Raha
Former president of the Calcutta Club, businesswoman
“To be elected president of Calcutta Club is a profound honour and I accept this responsibility with great respect for the club’s rich legacy and traditions. As I begin this journey, I sincerely seek your blessings and cooperation.”
telegraphindia.com
“The polls were conducted smoothly. There was no hindrance this time.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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