Panjab University poll: Candidates file nominations, excitement remains low on campus

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 29

On the last date of filing nominations for elections to four posts of Panjab University Campus Student Council, the usual excitement stayed low and not much show of strength events were witnessed. In fact, the UIET and UILS Departments, which has a large number of students, witnessed huge gatherings only after nominations. However, this time no such dramatic event took place and sloganeering remained limited to small batches of students. Late in the evening, the PU authorities cleared 29 nominations for the post of president, 31 for vice-president, 26 for secretary and 26 for joint secretary.

Earlier in the day, the UILS saw two main candidates contesting for the post of president filing nominations today morning. Arpita Malik, ABVP candidate, and Prince Chaudhary, CYSS candidate, are both students of this department. While Chaudhary is a first-year student of LLM, Arpita is in her final year of BA LLB. The list of eligible candidates from the department were supposed to be released by the department by 12.30pm, but was released late.

Apart from these two candidates, PSU Lalkaar has fielded Sarah (Dept of History) for the president post, the SOI has fielded Tarun Sidhu (UIET) for the same post and the NSUI has fielded Rahul Main (Dept of Laws) for the top post of the council. Anurag Dalal, former NSUI member who joined the ranks with Sikander Boora after the latter quit the NSUI in a dramatic turn of events on Wednesday, filed nominations for the president post as an independent. Sikander Boora’s rebel group has extended support to Dalal.

Along with the Panjab University, students of as many as 11 colleges in the Union Territory also filed their nominations today for student council poll. In GGDSD College, Sector 32, 11 candidates were approved by the college authorities. Of these, 10 are contesting for president’s post and only four are contesting for single post. Four candidates have filed nominations for all four council posts.

In DAV College, Sector 10, 12 candidates were approved by the authorities to contest for the president post and the same number of candidates were accepted for the vice-president post. In MCM DAV College for Women, Sector 36, four students were given a go-ahead by the college to contest for the president post.

At PGGC, Sector 46, five students have been approved to contest for the president’s post; at PGGCG, Sector 11, four students have been allowed to contest for the president’s post; Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26, has allowed five students to contest for the top post; PGGC, Sector 11, has shortlisted 17 students as presidential candidates; in Dev Samaj College for Women, Sector 45, three students were allowed for the top post; PG Govt College for Girls, Sector 42, allowed four students for president’s chair; three students were allowed by the authorities in Govt College of Commerce and Business Administration, Sector 50, for same post.

Like last year, Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26, has only one student for the presidential candidate. In fact, the other three posts also have one contender each.

Dalal NSUI rebels’ presidential candidate

Chandigarh: After the recently appointed city president of the NSUI Sikander Boora resigned on Wednesday, he and his supporters fielded 26-year-old Anurag Dalal, who also quit the NSUI, as presidential candidate. Dalal is a research scholar in the Chemistry Department of the university and was member of the Congress-backed NSUI for almost eight years. The rebels assembled.

FINAL LIST OUT TODAY

The final list of candidates eligible to contest the Panjab University Campus Student Council posts will be out on Friday. According to the schedule, the approved list should be displayed by 10 pm by the university authorities. Those who want to withdraw, will be allowed to do so between 10.30pm and 12 noon. By 2.30 pm, the final list of candidates will be displayed by the authorities.