The Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) re-election results were declared on Saturday, 12 September in Mumbai, with veteran actors Upasna Singh and Sahila Chadha emerging as the top vote-getters. Upasna secured 360 votes while Sahila followed closely with 357 votes, leading a new Executive Committee after weeks of internal turmoil within the film and television artistes' body.

Full Vote Tally and Key Winners

Vikas Verma finished third with 349 votes, followed by Deepak Parashar at 348, Kunickaa Sadanand at 312, and Varsha Usgaonkar Sharma at 306. Other winners included Nagma Morarji (290), Nimai Bali (266), Arjun (Feroz Khan) (250), Asmaani Tahi (237), Shehzad Khan (234), Manish Kumar Chaturvedi (219), Sapan Kumar Bhattacharya (197), Rantkumar Singh (184), and Ramakant Borude (176).

What the Winners Said

Deepak Parashar expressed surprise at the strong mandate he received. 'I did not expect this, I am surprised. I have won with very good votes. Now I just want to work for my CINTAA members. I would like them to come back and work with me. Thank you very much,' he said.

Kunickaa Sadanand struck a resolute tone, saying, 'I am very thankful to all those who voted for me and made our team win. Now our fight has begun. Now we have to work and show whether we are truly capable or not. We have to show that they have trusted us.' She also thanked the 571 members who turned up to vote, saying they 'showed faith and took the courage to keep CINTAA alive.'

Why Fresh Elections Were Held

The re-elections were triggered after 11 of the 21 members of CINTAA's Executive Committee resigned, alleging autocratic functioning within the association. A court subsequently refused to stay the fresh polls ordered by the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), clearing the path for Saturday's vote.

This is not the first bout of internal friction. Notably, CINTAA office-bearers Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure had previously raised concerns over an alleged breach of members' privacy, reportedly questioning Upasna Singh over access to the association's membership data. The controversy had deepened fissures within the body well before the mass resignations.

What Lies Ahead for CINTAA

The newly elected committee faces the task of restoring institutional credibility and addressing long-standing grievances around governance and transparency. With a divided membership and public accusations from prominent former office-bearers, the incoming leadership's first challenge will be unifying the ranks. How quickly the new committee delivers on its promises of accountability could determine whether CINTAA regains the confidence of India's film and television artistes.