Panjab varsity student parties plan freebies to lure voters

Deepankar Sharda

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 5

Prominent multiplexes, budget hotels, transporters’ offices and amusement parks in the city are flooded with queries from student parties planning to lure voters for the coming Panjab University Campus Student Council (PUCSC) elections.

Sources in various student parties, which are planning to contest the elections, said special duties had been assigned to workers of each department to organise free trips to Kausali, visit to the water park at Funcity, delivery of pizzas in hostels, movies at PVR Cinemas, Centra Mall, and parties at budget halls along with offering liquor.

Teams constituted by student parties are approaching the managers of theatres, restaurants and Funcity to get an estimate of the cost of each such trip ahead of the elections, which are likely to be held on August 28.

An official of PVR Cinemas, Centra Mall, confirmed that queries were received from student groups of Panjab University regarding group bookings. They have asked about the availability of tickets for shows on August 13, 20 and 26 this month and the estimated cost, the official said.

Manoj, an official at the water park at Funcity, said, “For the past over 10 years, leaders of almost all parties approach us for group bookings and we offer them a good discount. Even this year, we are expecting them to approach us.”

A supporter of a student party said on condition of anonymity that the party was waiting for funds from its parent party in Punjab after which the freebies would be offered. Once the funds were received, plans would be executed to lure the voters.

“We have submitted our budget estimate to senior party leaders. Now, we are waiting for financial assistance from them,” said a student leader of the youth wing of a Punjab party.