2026 Temple Election for the Hindu Temple Society (HTS), Board of Trustees (BOT) & Board of Governors (BOG), and Hindu Cultural Center (HCC) Board of Directors (BOD)
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2026, from 1:00 – 3:00PM
Message #1 from the Nomination & Election Committee (NEC)
Dear Devotees,
HTS Elections this year will be held on November 15th. The NEC seeks nominations for the BOTs, BOGs, and BODs. Election documents are now available at www.albanyhindutemple.org. We are pleased to announce the following vacancies.
BOT (Board of Trustees): Five for a term of Three Years each
BOG (Board of Governors): Two for a term of three years each
BOD (Board of Directors of HCC): Two for a term of three years each
We seek nominations for each of the boards. You can download the nomination form from:
Nomination Form:
Please download the detailed event listings by clicking here
Please review the Election Guidelines appended below for details on nomination forms and absentee ballots.
You can email the scanned copy of the completed nomination form with signatures to the NEC at [email protected]. You can also submit your nomination form in the main temple in person to a NEC member on the following dates mentioned below. Please note that nominations dropped in the Hundi will not be accepted. In the event of an election, it is important that you bring a photo ID to enable you to cast your vote. In the absence of a photo ID, the NEC may ask two voters with photo IDs to certify your identity.
Following are the important dates and deadlines:
• Date by which Certified Member list is available ……….. 02-Oct-26
Nomination Process1
• Nominations will be accepted in person at the DVD desk between 7pm -9pm ……. 10-Oct-26
• Last date by which completed nomination should be received (via email or post) by NEC …… 10-Oct-26
• Date on which initial candidate list will be published by NEC ……. 11-Oct-26
• Date by which candidates can withdraw their nomination ……. 16-Oct-26
• Date on which final list of candidates (after withdrawals) will be published by NEC ……. 17-Oct-26
Absentee Ballots2
• Last date by which request for an absentee ballot should be received by NEC ……. 17-Oct-26
• Absentee ballots to eligible members3 to be mailed by the NEC …… 19-Oct-26
• Last date by which completed absentee ballot should be received by NEC …… 08-Nov-26
Elections Day 15-Nov-26 , 1:00pm – 3:00pm
1. Nomination forms are available for use on the Temple website. Nominations received after the last date will not be accepted. You can download the nomination form from:
Nomination Form:
Please download the detailed event listings by clicking here
2. Absentee ballots received after the last date will not be considered towards counting. If NEC decides that elections are not necessary, the absentee ballots will not be mailed out.
3. If your name does not appear on the membership database, and you believe you are a qualified member to vote, please contact the Membership Secretary – Jagdish Solanki at 518-986-7192, [email protected]. You can view the lists of Life and Annual members at: https://www.hindutemplealbany.org/support-us/membership/
Nomination & Election Committee (NEC)
Mr. Kirthi Nagarajan, (518) 285-9794
Prof. Ishwara Bhat (518) 227-2415
Mr. Shyam Dubey (518) 817-3358
Election Appeals Committee
Mrs. Sreedevi Mandava
Mr. Veerabhadra Bheemineni
Mr. Arvind Goswami
Election Guidelines 2026
Note on filing nomination
Nominations could be filed one of 2 ways.
1) Nominations could be handed over in person to a NEC member who will be present at the temple at specific times mentioned in NEC bulletin 1.
2) Scanned nominations could be emailed to the NEC member at [email protected].
Please note that nominations can no longer be dropped in the Hundi as was the practice in past years. The nomination form has to be filled in completely to avoid any confusion.
Absentee ballot request:
There is no need to fill in an Absentee Ballot Request form. Request can be made via email to [email protected]. However, the following information is mandatory to receive the Absentee ballots. The person who needs the absentee ballots will have to make the request. Any absentee ballot request from anyone else other than the member will not be entertained.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Name:
Address:
Membership: Life or Annual (Please verify before you request absentee ballot)
Telephone number:
Please note the last date to request an absentee ballot is October 17, 2026.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Election Process:
Elections will be conducted consistent with Article 6 of the constitution. Given the learnings during the past few elections the following guidelines will be adopted.
Term of Office: Members will be elected only for such a term that fulfils Article 6, Section 7 of the Constitution.
Tie: In case of a tie, a flip of a coin by the EAC Chairman will determine the winner.
Absentee Ballots: Every effort will be made to ensure return of absentee ballots. However, if the absentee ballots are not returned on time NEC has no option but to assume that requestor has not returned the ballot.
