The Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) election will be held on August 31, varsity authorities announced on Thursday. With this, the election code of conduct, based on the Lyngdoh guidelines, has come into force on the campus and affiliated colleges in the city.
The announcement did not go down well with most student parties, who complained of a shorter campaigning period – seven days – given the long-weekend around Raksha Bandhan on August 28.
Trying to make the most of the time at hand, parties have already begun on ground and online campaigns.
While the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP), the student wing of the Aam Aadmi Party, on Thursday announced BA LLB student Aadil Brar as its presidential candidate, the Sath party had named Darshpreet Singh for the post a day earlier.
Major organisations linked to national parties – National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), student wing of the Indian National Congress, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Student Organisation of India (SOI), affiliated with the Shiromani Akali Dal, and left-wing PSU Lalkaar are yet to announce their candidates.
Last year’s PUCSC election, held on September 3, saw ABVP candidate Gaurav Veer Sohal win the presidential post. This was the first time in PU’s history that an ABVP candidate had won the seat. Ashmeet Singh of Sath was elected vice-president, Abhishek Dagar of SOPU secretary and independent candidate Mohit Manderana joint secretary.
{{/usCountry}}Last year’s PUCSC election, held on September 3, saw ABVP candidate Gaurav Veer Sohal win the presidential post. This was the first time in PU’s history that an ABVP candidate had won the seat. Ashmeet Singh of Sath was elected vice-president, Abhishek Dagar of SOPU secretary and independent candidate Mohit Manderana joint secretary.
{{/usCountry}}The voter turnout last year stood at 58.9% – against a voter count of 16,184. This was the lowest turnout in recent years. The turnout was 66.5% in 2024, 65.8% in 2023, 66.1% in 2022 and 61.7% in 2019. The number of voters for this year is yet to be announced by the Dean of Student Welfare (DSW) office.
The 11 affiliated colleges in the city have over 43,000 students. Last year, student council elections had taken place in nine colleges, excluding Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26, and Government College for Commerce and Business Administration.