Suspended NSUI chief backs independent candidate in Panjab University student elections
Rebel candidate Dalal, a student of the department of chemistry, filed his nomination on Thursday, along with NSUI’s main presidential candidate Rahul Nain
A day after National Students’ Union of India’s (NSUI’s) Chandigarh president Sikander Boora was suspended for anti-party activities, he backed independent candidate Anurag Dalal for the post of president in the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC).
Rebel candidate Dalal, a student of the department of chemistry, filed his nomination on Thursday, along with NSUI’s main presidential candidate Rahul Nain. Later in the evening, a show of strength event was organised near Gandhi Bhawan on the varsity campus, where Boora, along with several members of NSUI, showed up.
Speaking about this, Boora said a meeting was called in the evening to establish consensus over poll-strategy. There were rumours that Dalal will be fielded as the presidential candidate from Students’ Organisation of Punjab University (SOPU). However, Boora did not confirm the statement.
Speaking about the rumours, SOPU president Balraj Singh Sidhu said his party was not the “B team” of any party. “While we cannot run with Dalal as our presidential candidate, we can consider him for one of the lower posts,” he added. The party is yet to declare its final candidate and for which posts they will contest in the election.
Dalal, who is a research scholar, said he had been associated with NSUI for over seven years. “Yesterday’s events won’t affect my commitment and campaign to become the president. I will work hard either way,” he said.
The NSUI, meanwhile, is facing further problems after Boora’s public resignation over what he said was a “Tughlaqi Farman” on Wednesday. His verbal resignation was followed by his suspension by the national NSUI president Varun Choudhary
The Congress-backed student party had announced candidates for two seats only, but now it is likely to contest for the full panel with involvement of the Rajkaran and Gurjot groups in NSUI as well. NSUI’s president candidate Rahul Nain has been associated with the party for only around a year and will bank on vice-president pick Archit Garg’s influence in the party to clinch the election.