It’s Bharat vs Bharat in diamond association poll

Diamond king and current MDMA president Bharat Shah; (Right) Bharat V Shah, his contender

The upcoming election for the president's post at the MDMA (Mumbai Diamond Merchants' Association) will have two parties, unlike the past many polls when Bharat Shah of B Vijaykumar & Company won unopposed.

This time around, the diamond king has got a strong opponent in Bharat V Shah, the Malad Diamond Market merchant.

Over 14,000 members will vote to select the MDMA president on Friday, February 25.

Both the parties are running the election campaign in full swing at BKC, the Malad Diamond Market, Bharat Diamond Bourse and the opera house. Bharat Shah also held a meeting with the merchants in Malad, opera house and Zaveri Bazaar.

Speaking with mid-day, diamond king Bharat Shah said, "We are focused to bring small merchants into the limelight so they can make good money, as there is a lot of potential in the diamond market in the next few years. If we come to power, we will help all small merchants. We believe we will win this election because no matter who tries to be the Opposition we are here to help all the merchants."

Opposition leader Bharat V Shah said, "It is not necessary to bring all the previous committees in power as we know that they have not helped any of the small-scale merchants. As per my sources, people who have tried to meet the people in power have ended up in long queues. However, we will be addressing the issues of every merchant 24X7. If any merchant has issues, they can meet me directly. I will always be a phone call away. I have been in this market since 1973 and in the [MDMA] committee since 1987. I was a small merchant then, and today, I know what small merchants go through. I had many schemes that were shut down over time and I want to reopen those, as they will help the small merchants. For small merchants, we have an LIC scheme that gives R2 lakh to the family in case of death of a merchant.

"This scheme has been shut down. I will bring this scheme back to existence if I am elected. I wish to increase the value of the MDMA card. The gems and jewellery export council exhibition that requires registration and too much paperwork will be made easy, as we will offer this exhibition facility on the MDMA card. When big merchants make the sale, small merchants make just 0.50 per cent commission even though they work hard and make the sale possible. When I am the president, we will increase it to 1 per cent."

Feb 25
Date of the election to MDMA