Centre delaying polls, claim PU senators from Ludhiana

A few PU senators from Ludhiana condemned the delay in elections alleging that the Centre is collaborating with the Haryana government and the efforts for the representatives from the colleges of Haryana to be a part of the senate have been going on

With the Panjab University (PU) senate’s term expiring on October 31 this year, the varsity is yet to release a new schedule for the senate elections after the schedule approved by the vice president of India, who is also a chancellor of the university, already lapsed.

“The election process starts around December or January, and now we have entered June. But we are still clueless about the senate elections,” said Gurmit Singh, a senate member from Ludhiana. (HT File)

A few PU senators from Ludhiana, representing various constituencies, condemned the delay in elections alleging that the Centre is collaborating with the Haryana government and the efforts for the representatives from the colleges of Haryana to be a part of the senate have been going on.

As per the PU calendar, notice for the election is released 240 days before the elections.

“The election process starts around December or January, and now we have entered June. But we are still clueless about the senate elections,” said Gurmit Singh, a senate member from Ludhiana.

Another senator and an official at the department of higher education, Prabhjit Singh, said, “At the time of Lok Sabha elections, when the central claims to uphold democracy, the reality is that the democracy is facing a tremendous challenge. They deliberately do not want elections to be conducted. They want all senators to be their nominees, keeping fairness and genuineness at bay.”

There are 90 senate members representing different constituencies, including graduates, lecturers, principals, lecturers of BEd Colleges and representatives from law, language, arts, science and combined faculty.

Naresh Gaur, a senator, Ludhiana-based banker and a representative of the graduate constituency said that apart from PU, all other universities have nominated senators only.

“This was the only university left where the senators were elected and the real-time problems faced by the students were discussed and brought to the university’s notice. But now, even after sending the schedule twice for approval by the PU registrar, it has not been approved. Governance would be affected after the senator’s term ends in October with no schedule for the upcoming elections. I wonder how the university will proceed without a senate,” he added.

PU registrar YP Verma said the notice has already been sent to the chancellor but no information about it has been received.