PU student elections likely to be held in Oct, after Dussehra

The student bodies, who have already started campaigning on campus, have demanded that elections be announced at the earliest

While student bodies are on tenterhooks to contest polls after a two-year hiatus, Panjab University officials are planning to hold the elections after the Dussehra celebrations.

While student bodies are on tenterhooks to contest polls after a two-year hiatus, Panjab University officials are planning to hold the elections after the Dussehra celebrations. (HT FIle)

With the festive season set to begin in the first week of October, the university is planning to hold elections between October 5 (Dussehra) and October 24 (Diwali). A meeting was held at the office of the dean student welfare (DSW), in which October 18 and 20 were zeroed in as suitable dates for the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections. The date will also be discussed with the UT administration before making a final announcement.

The student bodies, who have already started campaigning on campus, have demanded that elections be announced at the earliest. Student elections are traditionally held in September, but have not been held in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, since the term of the outgoing council ended on May 31, 2020.

Earlier, the DSW’s office had proposed the last week of September for holding polls. Madhav Sharma of Students Organisation of India (SOI), said, “After fixing the election date, the polls should be announced in a timely manner so that student bodies plan their campaign accordingly. As elections were not held in the university for last two years, the majority of the students are participating in the election for the first time.”

Relaxation in age limit proposed

It has also been learnt that members discussed relaxing the age bar for contesting the polls this year in view of two years of pandemic. However, this proposal will need to be approved by the governing body of the university.

According to Lyngdoh committee guidelines, undergraduate students between the ages of 17 and 22 may contest elections. For the postgraduate students the maximum age limit to contest the election is 24 to 25 years and for research students the maximum age limit to contest an election is 28 years.