Student body urges MU to conduct senate election before state polls

Mumbai: After the Senate election, which was originally scheduled for September 10, was cancelled at the last minute, the University of Mumbai (MU) has announced that the Senate election will now take place on September 22

Mumbai: After the Senate election, which was originally scheduled for September 10, was cancelled at the last minute, the University of Mumbai (MU) has announced that the Senate election will now take place on September 22. However, student representatives are pushing for an earlier date, expressing concerns that a potential state election announcement in September could lead to another postponement.

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Late Saturday night, the university announced its election program for student representatives. Since 2022, the university has been without elected student representatives in the Senate to address student issues. According to the university’s schedule, candidates can submit their applications from August 6 to 12. After the scrutiny process, the final list of candidates will be announced on August 28. The election is scheduled for September 22, and the results will be declared on September 25.

Student representatives, noting that the final electoral roll has already been published, are pressing the university to reschedule the election to avoid further delays. Santosh Gangurde, Chief State Organizer of Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS), said, “MU is trying to avoid elections for some reason. Now there is no reason for delay in the students’ elections. As the final electoral roll is also out, MU can conduct the election within the next 20 days.” He also emphasised the lack of student representation in the Senate and its impact on various student activities.

Pradeep Sawant, a former Senate member and Yuva Sena (UBT) member, also criticised the delay, saying, “This is unjust to the students. Without elected representation, there is no one in the Senate to question administrative decisions.”

Meanwhile, sources from the Election Commission indicated that even if the model code of conduct is announced, the university can still hold its election as scheduled. However, sources within the university expressed concerns that if the model code of conduct is enforced, many staff members might be assigned to state election duties, potentially leading to a shortage of staff to conduct the university election.

Electoral shrunk

The electoral roll for registered graduates has significantly shrunk, with only a fifth of the 62,000 voters registered in the 2018 elections. Of the 26,994 graduates who applied to vote in the upcoming Senate polls, only 13,394 were approved, while 13,550 were rejected due to various issues.