Chandigarh: PU teachers’ body polls scheduled for Oct 28

The fresh date comes amid criticism from a section of faculty members, who had questioned the delay in announcing the election schedule and the subsequent postponement of the polls, alleging that the association had failed to adhere to the timeline prescribed under its constitution

Weeks after uncertainty over the conduct of its annual elections, the Panjab University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) has scheduled its 2026-27 elections for October 28, following discrepancies in membership-fee transactions that forced the postponement of the original polling date of September 30.

The notice issued on Thursday said the revised date had been fixed keeping in view the number of holidays, particularly the Dussehra festival during October, to allow potential contestants sufficient time to prepare. (HT File)

In a notice dated October 8 (Thursday), PUTA president Amarjit Singh Naura and secretary Mritunjay Kumar said the elections had been rescheduled after complaints regarding possible double deductions of membership fees and cases in which transactions processed by the State Bank of India (SBI) were reversed because of insufficient balance in individual accounts were resolved. The accounts have since been reconciled and verified, the notice stated.

The fresh date comes amid criticism from a section of faculty members, who had questioned the delay in announcing the election schedule and the subsequent postponement of the polls, alleging that the association had failed to adhere to the timeline prescribed under its constitution.

According to the PUTA constitution, the election schedule is to be announced within 15 days of PU reopening after the summer vacation, and the election process is to be completed within 45 days. The university reopened on July 30, while the election schedule was announced on September 12, with polling initially fixed for September 30.

PUTA also stated that the membership list, along with a detailed revised election schedule specifying the date for filing nominations, would be released subsequently. The notice did not specify the nomination dates or provide a fresh timeline for the remaining stages of the election process.

The postponement triggered objections from several faculty members, who accused the incumbent leadership of taking decisions without adequate consultation. Prof Parveen Goyal, who had written to the PUTA president on behalf of several teachers, had alleged that the election schedule was announced without consulting the executive committee or convening a general body meeting (GBM).

Goyal had demanded that an emergency GBM be convened and a fresh election calendar issued after consultation with members. Former PUTA president Rajat Sandhir had also termed the delay unprecedented, arguing that teachers should have an elected body within the constitutionally stipulated period.

Responding to the criticism, Naura had maintained that the postponement was necessary to ensure an accurate and transparent electoral roll. He explained that the annual membership fee of ₹500 is deducted directly from faculty members’ salaries, and technical issues during SBI processing had resulted in reversed transactions and complaints of double deductions.

With October 28 now fixed as the polling date, the next steps include releasing the membership list, inviting objections, finalising the electoral roll and issuing the detailed schedule for nominations and other election-related activities.

The announcement sets the electoral process back in motion, although the delay has brought questions over constitutional timelines and consultation within the teachers’ association into sharper focus.