E-Paper
Panjab University to hold syndicate polls on July 2
According to the communication issued by the Panjab University registrar to the senate members, the polling will be held at the Senate Hall from 9 am onwards
Over 18 months after the end of the syndicate’s last term, Panjab University (PU) has finally scheduled fresh elections for the executive arm of the varsity’s senate on July 2.
According to the communication issued by the PU registrar to the senate members, the polling will be held at the Senate Hall from 9 am onwards. The development comes a day after the faculties were assigned to senators, who will vote in the elections to pick syndicate members from among themselves.
The one-year term of the last syndicate had ended in December 2020, but the elections could not be held due to repeated delays in the senate polls amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Polls for the senate – the apex governing body of PU – were eventually held between August and October last year after a year’s delay.
Following the elections, the senate earlier this year had delegated all powers of the syndicate to vice-chancellor (V-C) Raj Kumar.
The 15-member body includes two members each from the languages, law and medical science faculties, and three members each from the arts, sciences and combined faculties.
Executive government of PU
According to the PU calendar, the executive government of the university will be vested in the syndicate, which has powers to consider and make recommendations to the senate as it deems fit in the matters that include appointment of officers of Class A, affiliation and disaffiliation of colleges, recommendations of the board of finance relating to annual budget, supplementary grants, among others.
The calendar also grants power to the syndicate to pass orders on various university matters, including those related to colleges, academic council and faculties, and sanctions proposals of new expenditure up to a particular limit.
No faculties constituency yet
The syndicate polls are being held even as the senate’s constituency of faculties has no elected members. Six candidates were declared elected from the constituency in September last year, but Vice-President of India M Venkaiah Naidu, who is also PU chancellor, in April this year refused to accord his approval to the election. All these candidates are from the Goyal group, which had a majority in the previous senate and syndicate. They have challenged the order of the chancellor in the Punjab and Haryana high court, where the matter remains pending.
PU senate meeting on July 5
The next meeting of PU senate has also been scheduled, at 2 pm on July 5 at the Senate Hall. The communication sent to the senate members said the agenda papers will be issued shortly. The last senate meeting was held in May.
