Dhankhar exit's domino effect in Chandigarh: Panjab University waiting to elect top decision-making body

Term of PU senate ended in October 2024; rules say elections need approval from chancellor, a position held by the Vice President; delay now into ninth month

The sudden resignation by Jagdeep Dhankhar as the Vice President of India is set to have a cascading effect beyond the power circles in Delhi. Elections to the governing senate of Panjab University (PU) in Chandigarh are now likely to be delayed further as the Vice-President is also the PU chancellor by default.

Jagdeep Dhankhar quit as Vice President of India abruptly on July 21, with two years remaining in his term. The Vice President is the PU chancellor by default. (X/@VPIndia/File)

The term of the 91-member PU senate, the university’s topmost decision-making body, ended on October 31 last year. Rules say elections need approval from the chancellor. But the needle on that hasn't moved, and isn't likely to at least until a new Vice President is chosen.

It's been almost nine months already that its key powers have temporarily been delegated to the vice-chancellor and other officials.

Decisions are being taken in anticipation of the new senate’s approval — whenever it may be elected — but officials are limiting the scope of issues as compared to what an active senate would take up.

In the period, the university did prepare an election schedule — not once but four times, officials told HT — but the chancellor’s office did not grant approval.

Students, alumni, former sentaors and other stakeholders have expressed fears that the senate may be abolished. But there is no clarity on that too.

Central govt says it does not want to interfere in PU poll process.

It was back in May of 2024 — months before the end of the senate's term — that some members sought an election schedule. They cited rules that say at least 90 days’ notice has to be given for the polls.

By October, with a week left for the term to end, the first protest was held. Within days, it grew into a ‘Senate Bachao Morcha’ and a ‘PU Bachao Morcha’. Protesters met Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari too. AAP’s MP from Anandpur Sahib and former PU student council president Malvinder Singh Kang also joined the protest.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann then wrote to the chancellor's office. The matter was taken up in the Punjab and Haryana high court as well.

When Congress MP Manish Tewari’s raised the issue in Parliament, the minister of state (MOS) for education, Sukanta Majumdar, said it was not in central government’s ambit to notify the PU senate elections; and that only the Vice President could do that.