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In a first, two women among eight enter the field for president’s post
Two female candidates — Bhawanjot Kaur, 25, a Students For Society (SFS) member and Shivali, 22, of the Panjab University Students Union (PUSU) — are vying for presidency of the student council this year in a first in the recallable past
Eight students — including two female candidates — will contest for the post of president in the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections as the dust finally settled on the field of contestants for the October 18 polls.
Two female candidates — Bhawanjot Kaur, 25, a Students For Society (SFS) member and Shivali, 22, of the Panjab University Students’ Union (PUSU) — are vying for presidency of the student council this year in a first in the recallable past. Even in PUSU’s long electoral history, never has a female candidate been fielded for the coveted post.
In all elections since 2016, only one female candidate has competed for the post.
Students For Society’s (SFS) Kanupriya, however, had delivered a big win for them by winning the 2018 elections.
The final list of candidates was released after the withdrawal deadline on Thursday.
A day earlier, as many as 42 students had filed nominations for the president’s post. In the last student elections held in 2019, only four students had contested for the top post of PUCSC — including a solitary female candidate.
Aayush Khatkar, 23, of the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS); Gurjeet Singh, 20, of the Punjab Students’ Union (PSU-Lalkaar); Gurwinder Singh Kamboj, 23, of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI); Jodh Singh, 23, of SATH and Madhav Sharma, 23, of the Student Organisation of India (SOI) are among the others who will be seen contesting for the top post. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Indian National Students Organisation (INSO), Himachal Pradesh Students’ Union (HPSU) and Himachal Students’ Union (HIMSU) have fielded a joint candidate in Harish Gujjar, 25.
With eight candidates contesting for the president’s post, the stage has been set for one of the fiercest competitions in recent years — given that only half the number of candidates were in contention during the last elections, while the numbers for 2018 and 2017 also remained low at six and four, respectively.
While three candidates are in fray for the post of vice-president, four are contesting for the secretary’s post and six for joint secretary.
Outfits prefer to fly solo
Most student outfits have chosen to fly solo in the elections this year, with only one alliance — comprising ABVP, INSO, HPSU and HIMSU being announced so far.
