(Blurb) UT admn’s nod awaited; farmers’ protest on Sept 3 forces varsity to plan early elections
Panjab University (PU) has proposed August 31 as the date for the Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) elections. The proposal is yet to be approved by the UT administration.
Earlier, the varsity had proposed September 2 and 3 for holding the elections, but the UT had expressed reservations as a farmers’ protest is set to take place on September 3. The administration had reportedly asked PU to schedule the elections early.
The Dean Students Welfare (DSW) held an all-party meeting during which August 28, 29 and 31 were discussed as possible dates. Now, the university will send a revised proposal to the UT administration.
If approved, this will be the first time in recent years that the elections will be held in August, and not in September.
Going back to 2010, each year, except for the Covid years, the elections were held in September.
{{/usCountry}}Going back to 2010, each year, except for the Covid years, the elections were held in September.
{{/usCountry}}Asked whether students would get enough time to campaign, DSW Yogesh Rawal said that once the date is fixed, the entire process from filing nomination papers to holding elections can be completed in a week. In previous years, usually 10 days were given for this.
When contacted, National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) leader and former PUCSC vice president Archit Garg said, “There isn’t really much we can do. Because of the farmers’ protest, and because of further proceedings in the senate elections after the first week of September, the PUCSC elections have to be organised early this time. We have agreed on the farthest viable date.”
The proposed date falls on Monday. With Raksha Bandhan falling on August 28, voter turnout is expected to be low as students may return home for the long weekend, a few student leaders said. PU authorities usually opt for such a date, to make it easier to maintain peace on campus, they said.
Sath Party announces presidential candidate
Some parties have already entered full campaign mode, with Sath Party announcing Darshpreet Singh as their presidential candidate on Wednesday. Sath has become the first major party to announce its presidential candidate. Singh said this would give them an edge in campaigning as time is already running short. This is the first time that Sath will contest the presidential post since Jodh Singh ran for the post in 2022. Since then, Sath has contested and won the post of vice-president twice. Darshpreet said he believed students would support him.
Meanwhile, the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP), the student wing of Aam Aadmi Party, also announced its panel at Students’ Centre. PUCSC election in-charge and Punjab MLA Amritpal Singh Sukhanand was present. ASAP will be looking to make up for lost ground, after Mankirat Singh Mann, their presidential candidate last year, finished fourth among the eight candidates.
ASAP state spokesperson Vatanveer Singh Gill said the party had finalised its presidential candidate and the announcement would be made in a day or two. Other parties too are expected to announce their candidates soon.