How parties fared over the years

Aarti Kapur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 17

In 1974, the first party to dominate in the university elections was the Progressive Students’ Union (PSU), founded by Ajaib Singh. Then, the demand for direct elections was conceded and Bhupinder Khosla was elected as the president in 1977, followed by the victory of PSU leaders.

In 1977, the Panjab University Students’ Union (PUSU) was formed. It gave a tough fight to the PSU in 1982, making a clean sweep. While this signalled the arrival of PUSU, it also sounded the death knell for the PSU.

Prominent parties
Panjab University Students Union (PUSU)

Founded in 1977, PUSU gave a tough fight to the Progressive Students Union (PSU) that was the prominent party on the campus then. There was no significant organisation at that time, which was working towards students’ welfare. PUSU was the one which constantly raised issues related to students, teachers and non-teaching staff. It remained active throughout the year. Among all student organisations on the campus at present, PUSU is the oldest one. Though their organisation comparatively was not that active, they continued to highlight issues related to students and the problems faced by them on the campus. The executive members of the team believed that the other student bodies on the campus were influenced by political parties due to which welfare of students was not their main agenda.

Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU)

SOPU, which was constituted in 1985, had prominent presence on the campus. However this year, it vanished from the campus. Dayal Pratap Randhawa was the party founder. Randhawa was elected as the president of the PU campus students’ council for two consecutive terms. He is a member of the PU Senate at present. Amninder Mann was associated with SOPU since 2011 and was the president of the party last year. SOPU’s presence declined on the campus after its senior leaders such as Vikramjeet Singh Middhukhera, at present state president of the Students Organisation of India, (SOI) and Brinder Dhillon associated with SOPU from 2008-2012 as president of the party for two years and chairman for two years left the party.

National Students Union of India (NSUI)

The NSUI, which is the youth wing of the Congress, was launched in 1971. The party contested the Panjab University elections from 1997. It managed to make its presence felt in the past two years. During Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the PU in 2012, several leaders from the Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) joined the NSUI. Among the leaders were Barinder Dhillion, Chandan Rana, president of SOPU for 2012 Manoj Lubana, and Council President of SOPU in 2012 Satinder Satti. The party aims at addressing day-to-day issues of students and also plans to look into the problems faced by research scholars. A major issue that the NSUI has actively worked on is the introduction of student feedback mechanism in the university.

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)

The ABVP was started by students in 1948, a year after India’s Independence, with an objective of channelising students’ energy toward the task of national reconstruction. It was founded by a group of students and teachers and was registered on 9 July, 1949. The ABVP is actually the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and was founded before the BJP. However, it participates in joint activities with BJP’s official youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. With the alliance of PUSU+ ABVP+HSA in 2000, the party opened its account in Panjab University by winning the office-bearer panel.

Students Organisation of India (SOI)

The SOI, which is the student wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), was founded in 2007. The party was re-launched in Panjab University after Chandigarh president of the SOI Vikramjit Singh, alias Vicky Middukhera, joined the party in February 2014. During the PUelections last year, the party lost by a margin of 58 votes.

Parties in the fray

• Panjab University Students Union (PUSU)
• Students Organisation of India (SOI)
• National Students Union of India (NSUI) 
• Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)
• Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU)

• Haryana Students Association (HSA)
• Indian National Students Organisation (INSO)
• Ambedkar Students Association (ASA)
• Youth Organisation of India (YOI)
• Students Federation for Society (SFS)

• Pal Pehalwan Students Organisation (PPSO)
• Himachal Pradesh Students Union (HPSU)
• Himachal Students Union (HIMSU)
• Gandhi Group Students Union (GGSU)
• Students Federation of India (SFI)
• Students Association of Punjab (SAP)