Rain plays spoilsport on last day of campaigning on PU campus
The DSW has appealed to students to participate in voting, and PU has announced that full-day attendance will be granted to those who vote. Last year’s voting percentage was 65.78%, but party insiders predict a lower turnout this year. With voting scheduled for Thursday, and Friday set to be a holiday, many hostellers are expected to leave for home on Wednesday and return for classes on Monday.
Rain played spoilsport on the final day of campaigning for the Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) elections, even though the candidates made last-ditch efforts, reaching out to voters at the girls’ hostels on campus on Tuesday. Candidates are now restricted to one-on-one campaigning on Wednesday.
A member of Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), which took out a rally with their alliance partners Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and National Students Union of India (NSUI), said the rallies were much smaller compared to last year. “As it started raining, some students went back to their hostels,” he added.
The Dean Students Welfare (DSW) office had prepared a special schedule, allowing a 45-minute gap between the rallies of major parties to minimise overlap. Nevertheless, campaigning remained underwhelming this year, with a string of holidays disrupting the election momentum. The campaigning only gained traction from Monday, the penultimate day of campaigning.
The presidents of both Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) and Panjab University Students Union (PUSU) said that student activism has declined significantly this year.
Balraj Singh Sidhu, president of SOPU, said, “It is important to identify what went wrong, which led to such a substantial reduction in student activism. Students are hesitant to join any party, and the authorities seem to disapprove of student politics.”
Low turnout predicted
The DSW has appealed to students to participate in voting, and PU has announced that full-day attendance will be granted to those who vote. Last year’s voting percentage was 65.78%, but party insiders predict a lower turnout this year. With voting scheduled for Thursday, and Friday set to be a holiday, many hostellers are expected to leave for home on Wednesday and return for classes on Monday.
Notably, there were fewer controversies this year, especially involving outsiders. Last year, the presence of politicians on PU campus during elections had sparked controversy, prompting a ban on outsiders. This time, seasoned politicians limited themselves to the shadows, calling the shots from outside the varsity.
Interestingly, ABVP’s presidential candidate Arpita Malik has also courted controversy with reports of her parents, who are PU sports deputy director and principal of Dev Samaj College for Women, Sector 45, asking faculty members and students to support their daughter.
This year has also seen lesser violence, despite reports of liquor distribution on Monday night. Some student parties organised informal gatherings for students in clubs in Sector 26 and Sector 8, and allegedly arranged trips to Kasauli.
Eight candidates in fray for president post
Eight candidates are contesting for the president post, with polling scheduled for Thursday. A total of 15,854 voters are eligible to participate. Notably, three women candidates are in the fray, including Arpita Malik of ABVP, Sarah of PSU Lalkaar, and Alka of Ambedkar Student Forum. Two major alliances have been announced this year: CYSS alliance with University Students Organisation for vice president, INSO Indian National Students Organisation (INSO) for secretary, and Himachal Pradesh Students Union (HPSU) for joint secretary. Independent candidate Anurag Dalal has formed an alliance with Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU), supported by the Students Front party from the evening studies department and Himachal Students Union (HIMSU).
Meanwhile, 306 total ballot boxes have already reached the departments as the varsity prepares to conduct the elections.
Punjab Youth Congress general secretary suspended
Days after issuing a show-cause notice, the Punjab Youth Congress suspended its general secretary Karan Randhawa from all posts for anti-party activities.
A letter regarding this was sent by Punjab Youth Congress in-charge Rishendra Singh Mahar after Randhawa supported National Students Union of India (NSUI) rebel candidate Anurag Dalal who is contesting the election as an independent candidate. His response to the show-cause notice was deemed inadequate and unreasonable.