E-Paper
PU polls: Backing from former student leaders pivotal in CYSS’s win
Despite its launch at Panjab University only last month, Aam Aadmi Party’s student wing Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti’s (CYSS) candidate bagged the prestigious president’s post at the student council elections on Tuesday
Despite its launch at Panjab University only last month, Aam Aadmi Party’s student wing Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti’s (CYSS) candidate bagged the prestigious president’s post at the student council elections on Tuesday.
Many prominent student leaders had joined the ranks of CYSS, including former Panjab University Campus Student Council (PUCSC) president Nishant Kaushal.
The group of leaders had joined CYSS in September in the presence of Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and his Delhi counterpart and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal.
After the polls were announced last week, CYSS was being considered one of the favourites alongside ABVP and NSUI.
AAP winning the assembly elections in Punjab with a thumping majority also appears to have had an impact on voters, as a large chunk of PU’s students belong to the state. Even in the Chandigarh MC polls held earlier this year, AAP had the highest number of councillors.
The party is also likely to have benefited from reported groupism in some other student wings and may there may also have been some instance of cross-voting.
“AAP’s tirade against corruption in Punjab also appears to have resonated with students,” said a party leader from a rival outfit.
With the AAP government in power in Punjab, Punjab higher education minister Meet Hayer, AAP MLA Goldy Kamboj and Punjab Youth Development Board (PYDB) chairman Parminder Goldy were in constant touch with the CYSS leaders. Meet Hayer even visited the campus a few days before the elections.
Earlier this month, some student leaders of NSUI and INSO had joined the CYSS in the presence of Meet Hayer.
Sanjeev Chaudhary, former ABVP leader who also joined CYSS last month, said, “We had worked for the welfare of the student community in the past, which helped the party win the elections. AAP has a progressive ideology, which has been accepted by the students as well.”
AAP had earlier floated its student wing in Chandigarh in 2020 with 12 members, but it eventually faded away, as the elections were on hold amid the pandemic.
Female candidates fail to make mark
The two female candidates from SFS and PUSU, who were in fray for the post of president with six male candidates, failed to make a mark in the elections. It was in 2018 when SFS’ Kanupriya became the first female president of PUCSC. The SFSs’ female candidate in 2019, however, could not repeat the feat.
2,450 opt for NOTA across 4 posts
Meanwhile, as many as 2,450 students opted for the ‘none of the above’ (NOTA) option while voting to elect the president, vice-president, secretary and joint secretary of the Panjab University student council on Tuesday.
As many as 809 students (8.2% of total voters) opted for NOTA while voting for the vice-president’s post, 777 (7.8%) for secretary, 692 (7%) for joint secretary and 172 (1.7%) for president.
In 2019 PU elections, 253 students had voted NOTA for president’s post, 79 for vice-president, 821 for secretary post and 659 for joint secretary
