It’s set: Panjab University goes to poll on Sept 5
Announcing the Panjab University election schedule on Friday, dean of students welfare (DSW) Amit Chauhan said the nomination process will start on August 29
In two weeks, the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council will get its new president on September 5.
Announcing the election schedule on Friday, dean of students welfare (DSW) Amit Chauhan said the nomination process will start on August 29.
Scrutiny will be done on the same day and a chance to withdraw nominations will be given on August 30 after which the final list of candidates will be displayed outside the DSW office at 2.30 pm.
The varsity has clarified that students who file nominations should keep their original certificates for matriculation or higher secondary education ready for the verification of their date of birth. No nomination will be entertained without the said mandatory certificate. This comes after a candidate’s nomination was cancelled for using forged certificates last year.
Ballot boxes for the polls will start arriving in the departments from September 3. Polling will be held on September 5 from 9.30 am onwards and counting will be done at the PU Gymnasium Hall after 12 pm. The executive election for the student body will be held on September 13 at the zoology department auditorium, where only the department representatives and office-bearers will be allowed.
In 2023, making a comeback after six years, Congress Party’s student wing National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) had won the president’s post by defeating Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti’s (CYSS), the student wing of the Aam Aadmi Party.
Jatinder Singh of NSUI had polled 3,002 votes, 603 higher than Divyansh Thakur of CYSS who got 2,399 votes.
The vice-president’s post was bagged by Ranmeekjot Kaur of Sath with 4,084 votes. She had later cut ties with the party. Deepak Goyat of Indian National Students’ Organisation (INSO) was elected secretary with 4,431 votes and Gourav Chahal of Panjab University Helping Hands (PUHH), which was in an alliance with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), was elected joint secretary. Chahal had later joined NSUI.
A total of 10,323 out of 15,693 eligible students had voted in the 2023 polls. The 65.78% polling was slightly behind the 66.1% turnout seen in 2022.
This time, around 16,000 voters will participate in the voting process. PU has details of 22 parties that are active in the varsity.
PU polls are viewed as a barometer for political trends not only in Chandigarh but across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, from where many students are enrolled in the varsity. Last year’s NSUI win was a prelude to Congress’ Lok Sabha victory in Chandigarh, and with Haryana’s assembly elections looming right after the PU polls, this year’s results could carry even greater significance.
