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Panjab University’s next student council to be elected on October 18
Panjab University’s campus polls returning after a two-year Covid-induced hiatus; elections at affiliated colleges in Chandigarh to also be held the same day
Students’ long wait for announcement of Panjab University campus elections ended on Monday with the varsity fixing October 18 as the polling and results day.
The schedule for the Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) elections was announced after a go-ahead from the Chandigarh administration. Elections at nearly 10 Chandigarh colleges affiliated to PU will also be held the same day.
Traditionally conducted annually in September, the campus polls could not be held after 2019 as the university had switched to virtual classes amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
While the number of voters in the 2019 elections was around 16,000, the university is still tallying their number this year. The exercise is expected to be completed by October 14.
In the 2019 elections, Chetan Chaudhary of the Student Organisation of India (SOI) was elected the campus president. The year before, Kanupriya from Students For Society (SFS) had become the first woman president of PUCSC in 2018.
For this year’s polls, so far five student bodies, including Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Punjab Students’ Union (Lalkaar), Indian National Students’ Organisation (INSO), SFS and SOI, have announced their presidential candidates, while three others, including National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) and Panjab University Students Union (PUSU), have yet to pick their candidates.
Many prominent faces from other student bodies, including 2016 PUCSC president Nishant Kaushal, have joined the CYSS, the student wing of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), that will be making its debut in PU polls this year.
Once prominent student wings, PUSU and Students’ Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) had to fight to bounce back in recent years as mainstream political outfits entered the arena of student politics. In 2014, top leaders from both the parties joined SOI, which won the polls in 2015. PUSU could only make a comeback in 2016 when its candidate Nishant Kaushal won the presidential post, while SOPU has not been able to clinch an election independently in recent years. Even through an alliance, its last win was only in 2012.
Two-year relaxation in upper age limit
PU has also decided to give a one-time, two-year relaxation in the upper age limit for contesting the upcoming polls on students’ request. The decision was taken on the recommendation of a varsity panel that was approved by vice-chancellor (V-C) Raj Kumar.
“Two years of upper age relaxation be given to the students contesting election to the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council and its affiliated colleges in Chandigarh for 2022-23 as the PUCSC elections could not be conducted in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19,” the panel had recommended.
According to Lyngdoh committee guidelines, undergraduate students between the ages of 17 and 22 may contest the elections. For postgraduate students, the maximum age limit is 24 to 25 years and for research students, it is 28 years.
Only varsity students can take part in campaigning: UT
While giving its approval, the UT administration has issued instructions for allowing only bona fide students of the university to campaign for the polls.
The administration has outlined that PU’s chief security officer be asked to keep a close liaison with the police and students be directed not to indulge in any illegal and violent activity. The list of the executive body of the student organisations and list of executive members of each party should be provided to the police.
