Thiruvananthapuram, July 24 (IANS) With Thursday marking the last date for filing nominations for the 17-member executive committee of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), the distribution of nearly 110 nomination forms indicates an intense electoral contest ahead.

AMMA currently has around 500 members.

Speaking to IANS, popular comedian and character actor Jagadish confirmed that he will contest for the post of president.

“In the outgoing committee, I was one of the two vice-presidents. When the fresh elections were announced, I hoped either Kunchacko Boban or senior actor Vijayaraghavan would take over as president. But since both opted out, I decided to step in. I have already started reaching out to members for support,” he said.

Jagadish also noted that actor Shwetha Menon is likely to enter the race for the president’s post.

Meanwhile, actor Raveendran, known for his villain roles, said that incumbent president Mohanlal has clearly conveyed that he will not contest this time.

“Mohanlal has expressed his reluctance to continue, as he has been unfairly blamed for the actions of others. This has deeply hurt him,” Raveendran said. He added that he, too, has collected nomination forms and that with the deadline set for 5 p.m. today, more clarity will emerge soon.

Actors Baburaj and Joy Mathew are among those vying for the key post of general secretary.

Unlike previous elections, there appears to be no official panel contesting as a bloc this time. Most candidates are expected to run independently.

Mohanlal and his team were elected in 2024 for a three-year term. However, the explosive revelations in the Hema Committee report last year triggered a crisis in AMMA. Matters escalated when the secretary and actor Siddique resigned after being accused of misconduct by a former actress.

Following Siddique’s resignation, more allegations against other actors surfaced. Subsequently, Mohanlal announced his unwillingness to continue, prompting the entire 17-member executive committee to step down.

An ad hoc committee led by Mohanlal has been overseeing affairs since then, until fresh elections could be scheduled.

At AMMA’s recently held annual general body meeting, it was decided that a new executive will be elected through a democratic process on August 15.

The final list of candidates will be known by July 31, the last date for withdrawal of nominations. If multiple candidates remain in the fray, voting will be held on August 15.

–IANS

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