MAA 2019 elections: Naresh elected as president 

Movie Artist Association's (MAA) election was conducted on Sunday. With the panels two led by Naresh and Shivaji Raja respectively, the developments of the election were dramatic and reminded the assembly elections. With Sunday's results, the brouhaha surrounding the election of the new governing body has finally ended.

 Election Officer and High Court advocate Krishna Mohan declared actors Naresh Vijaya Krishna and Jeevitha Rajasekhar as winners, at 3 am. The duo will hold the posts of president and general secretary of MAA respectively. While Naresh polled 268 votes, his opponent Shivaji Raja got 199 votes. 

Naresh's panel members Dr Rajasekhar has been elected as Executive Vice-President, while Siva Balaji Manoharan and Gautam Raju were declared the new joint secretaries and Kota Shankar Rao was elected as the treasurer, leaving two posts for the opposition led by ex-president Shivaji Raja. Actor Hema, who contested as an independent polled 200 votes and she will assume the post of Vice-President.

For the first time since the formation of MAA, out of 745 eligible members, 473 members casted their votes. 

It was a crucial win for Naresh, who began raising questions about the way MAA functioned under Shivaji Raja's leadership. It all began after MAA organised a fund-raiser in the US with Chiranjeevi as the chief guest. It was then Naresh along with a few others accused Shivaji Raja of misappropriating funds that belong to the organisation. He also announced that he would contest for the position of the president against Shivaji for his alleged abusive behaviour towards the members. Naresh and his team launched a conscientious campaign against their opposition and has also garnered the support of actors Chiranjeevi and Mahesh Babu.

An emotional Naresh said that his victory is dedicated to his mother Vijaya Nirmala, veteran actor Krishna, late directors Dasari Narayana Rao and Jandhyala for continuously inspiring him to think about the welfare of the artists. He also stated that the recent developments in MAA have caused mental agony to the members at various levels and asserted that it will take some time for things to settle down. The new president-elect also reiterated that this election was not about defeating someone, but an opportunity to serve MAA. "We are the official representatives of MAA and I believe our responsibilities have grown higher. The elections have caused an atmosphere of misunderstanding and bitterness, but let’s overcome these hurdles and bring about real change we want to see,” said Naresh.

He also stated that he will not be contesting the next election and restated that development of MAA is his focus. “Keeping the future of MAA in mind, for the first time, we are forming a youth committee that is aimed at raising awareness among young actors. We promise you that our team will go an extra mile to implement promises and I request everyone to respect our elders and protect our mother (MAA),” signed off Naresh.