Conduct senate polls immediately: Punjab to Panjab University

The term of the senate, the apex governing body of Panjab University, ended on October 31, 2020; elections were to take place in August 2020, but the varsity deferred them due to the pandemic

Flagging the delay in the senate elections, the Punjab government’s higher education department has asked Panjab University, Chandigarh, to conduct them immediately.

The candidates who are contesting the senate elections of Panjab University, including former senators, have alleged that the varsity was trying to tinker with the sequence of the poll schedule of various constituencies. (Representative Image/HT File)

The response from the state government came on Tuesday after the varsity had written to it, seeking permission to set up polling booths for the conduct of polls, which have been pending since August last year.

In the letter addressed to the PU registrar, the higher education department has conveyed that the varsity has already been given the permission to set up booths at various colleges in Punjab on the condition that Covid protocol is strictly adhered to during polling. The Punjab government had flagged the delay in February as well.

The polling booths of different constituencies of the PU senate are to be set up in Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. The university had sought permission from the states last month.

While the Chandigarh administration has already given its nod, the varsity is yet to get the permission from other states to set up polling booths. However, sources said Haryana is in the process to give the permission.

The term of the senate, the apex governing body of PU, ended on October 31, 2020. Elections were to take place in August 2020, but the varsity deferred them due to the pandemic.

The polls were later scheduled in April this year after the high court pulled up the vice-chancellor, but the second wave again led to a delay. Last week, the HC had sought the election schedule from the varsity by July 16.

PU senate elections: Candidates allege attempts being made to tinker with poll schedule

The candidates who are contesting the senate elections of Panjab University (PU), including former senators, have alleged that the varsity was trying to tinker with the sequence of the poll schedule of various constituencies.

Although the varsity is yet to announce the schedule, 19 candidates have written to the vice-president of India, M Venkaiah Naidu, who is also the chancellor of PU, on Tuesday stating that a mala fide attempt was being made to tinker with the sequence of the poll schedule.

The candidates, including Anu Chatrath, Rajesh Gill, Ashok Goyal, Harpreet Singh Dua, Keshav Malhotra, Ronki Ram, Jatinder Grover, Navdeep Goyal, Rajat Sandhir and others, have said that it has been an age-old practice to hold elections in the same sequence as announced twice in 2020 and 2021.

The development comes after the high court on July 8 had directed PU to place on record the schedule of senate polls by July 16.

“The registrar-cum-returning officer, who is supposed to act in an unbiased and objective manner while holding elections, is, reportedly, conniving with the vice-chancellor and his coterie, facilitating their attempts to manipulate the elections by diverting significantly from the age-old practice, violating all principles of morality and statesmanship,” states the letter to the chancellor.

The candidates have requested the chancellor to issue instructions to vice-chancellor Raj Kumar that the senate election process may be executed as per the directions issued by the high court, without altering the past practices and sequence of the elections of various constituencies.

Varsity officials did not comment on the matter and said that the issue of senate polls was subjudice.