MUMBAI, March 2 -- The stage is set for elections to the managing council and various other posts in the Asiatic Society of Mumbai (ASM), after it published the final list of voters on Saturday. The elections, scheduled for March 14, will fill 19 positions on the managing council, with 45 candidates in the fray. A keen contest is also expected for the post of president, with former Congress Rajya Sabha MP Kumar Ketkar facing off against BJP Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe. Both have their own panels for different positions, making it a political contest for the first time. The ASM, long regarded as a pillar of scholarship, is witnessing an election contest unprecedented in its history. This follows 1,363 members taking life and annual membership between April 1 and November 26, 2025, according to the new voters' list published by ASM on its website on Saturday. The surge in membership and attention to the institution is unprecedented, officials said. "We have always been keen on adding new members who are genuinely interested in contributing to ASM. But I am sorry to see that it is sort of getting politicised," said Vispi Balaporia, 84, outgoing president, who served ASM for three consecutive terms. Both Ketkar and Sahasrabuddhe are contesting the president's position for the first time. The controversy over ASM elections started when a quick climb of around 400 members was noticed, rumoured to be an attempt by one faction to influence the election results....