Padmini Kolhapuri and Poonam Dhillon emerged as the top vote-getters in the Cine & TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) executive committee elections held on Tuesday, 20 October 2026 in Mumbai, returning to power amid a months-long internal feud that had shaken the veteran performers' body. The results come after a turbulent period that saw mass resignations, rival factions, and court proceedings cloud the association's governance.

Full Vote Count

Padmini Kolhapuri secured the highest tally with 604 votes, followed closely by Poonam Dhillon with 601 votes. Rakesh Bedi came third with 575 votes, while Kanwarjit Paintal received 548 votes and Chandraprakash Thakur polled 514 votes.

Further down the list, Abhay Bhaargava got 439 votes, Ghanshyam Shrivastav polled 395, Jaya Bhattacharya secured 392, and Tina Ghai received 374 votes. Rajit Kapur earned 340 votes, Sheeba Akashdeep got 322, Ramesh Goyal polled 296, Jitendra Singh received 284, Mohd Farooq Bandhukia got 272, and Rohit Roy rounded out the tally with 268 votes.

What Poonam Dhillon Said

Speaking after the results, Poonam Dhillon underscored constitutional accountability as her priority going forward. 'Everybody who gets elected should have a copy of the constitution and also know the constitution of CINTAA. That's most important; they should know what the rules and regulations of CINTAA are. So that is one thing I introduce this time. I hope for years it continues that every member who comes in should get a copy and follow the constitution,' she said.

Dhillon added that she had introduced an oath-taking ceremony for incoming members. 'And I had an oath-taking ceremony this time that you will follow the constitution, you will be fair, do welfare. So, I introduced these two things as a president,' she said.

She also noted that roughly 670 members participated in Tuesday's vote — a turnout she described as particularly encouraging given that polling coincided with a festival holiday.

The Crisis That Triggered Fresh Elections

The elections were necessitated after 11 of the 21 members of the CINTAA Executive Committee resigned in August 2026, alleging autocratic functioning within the association. Some members, including Upasna Singh and Sahila Chadha, publicly accused Padmini Kolhapuri and Poonam Dhillon of fund misappropriation and autocratic governance — charges that the incumbents have not accepted.

The dissenting Upasna Singh-led faction subsequently held rival re-elections in September 2026, in which Upasna Singh and Sahila Chadha secured the highest votes. Those elections were triggered after a court declined to stay fresh polls ordered by the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE).

Legal Cloud Remains

Notably, the results of the 12 September 2026 rival elections cannot be implemented until the next court hearing, scheduled for 26 October 2026. That legal uncertainty means two competing sets of election results now exist, and the question of which leadership body holds legitimate authority over CINTAA remains unresolved.

The outcome of the 26 October hearing is expected to be a defining moment for the association, with implications for how India's film and television performers' body is governed going forward.