E-Paper
Punjab CM writes to Vice-President for early elections to Panjab University senate
Says delay is causing resentment among university constituents; also cites improved Covid situation
Citing improvement in the state’s Covid situation, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has written to Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, who is also the chancellor of Panjab University, seeking early elections to the university senate.
In a letter to Naidu, Capt Amarinder Singh said that the delay in polling was causing resentment among various constituents of the institution and urged him to advise the Panjab University authorities and the Chandigarh administration to conduct the senate elections on time.
The term of the senate ended on October 31.
“There is a substantial resentment among the teachers, professionals, technical members, graduates of the university and representatives of constituencies for the senate elections. Besides, there are legislators from the Punjab assembly and ex-officio members, such as the chief minister, education minister, and DPI (colleges) of the state, who represent the Government of Punjab,” Capt Amarinder Singh said, adding it was hence felt that elections should have been held without delay.
Noting that the university administration and the Government of India felt that the situation was not conducive to hold elections due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the chief minister said the situation has improved and elections to Parliament, assemblies, and urban and rural local bodies have been held across the nation.
The chief minister said that ever since the university was set up, its senate was constituted every four years with the members elected through a democratic process. Over the last six decades, elections were held regularly in August-September, he said, adding that in a situation when the senate is not constituted, the syndicate of the university would also not be constituted as its term ends on December 31, 2020.
