Student groups cry foul over poll campaign restrictions

Campaign restrictions spark hostel protest

A protest broke out outside Girls’ Hostel No. 4 at Panjab University on Friday night after members of AISA and SATH alleged selective enforcement of campaign rules. According to party members, some students were initially stopped from entering the hostel premises. After discussions with authorities, they were allowed entry but were reportedly told not to carry party stickers inside.

The students alleged that stickers of ABVP were already visible at several locations within the hostel and questioned whether all student organisations were being treated equally. SATH and AISA members subsequently staged a protest outside the hostel.

A senior PU official said the issue stemmed from a lack of clear instructions to hostel wardens at the time. The official said a meeting of the Dean Student Welfare (DSW) with wardens, where election-related guidelines were to be communicated, had not yet been held. The meeting was subsequently conducted Saturday. The DSW also reached the hostel and held discussions with the protesting students.

Another report added that female students of Sath and AISA were denied entry for electioneering, with one protester saying female students were allowed entry till 9 pm but were stopped. They alleged that pamphlets and stickers of a party were found pasted inside the hostel and that authorities were biased by allowing only one organisation to campaign in hostels. Dean Student Welfare YK Rawal said students highlighted some minor issues which were settled amicably. The DSW called a meeting with the wardens regarding election-related rules.

A professor familiar with the matter, but wishing not to be named, said that once elections are declared, the DSW is supposed to hold a meeting with the wardens to inform them about the rules. While elections were declared on Thursday, the meeting was held on Saturday. Until the meeting is held, the wardens are supposed to follow the norms laid down in the rulebook for hostels.

On Saturday evening, a protest was organised at the Students’ Centre, where supporters of Sath and Punjabnama raised slogans against various political parties. They criticised MP Deepender Singh Hooda for paying tribute to 1984 riot convict Sajjan Kumar, who recently died.

Nominations filed amid disputes

The race for the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) formally took shape on Monday as all major student parties and groups filed their nominations. However, nomination day ended on a contentious note, with the Shiromani Akali Dal’s student wing, SOI, staging a protest outside the Dean Students Welfare (DSW) office over the rejection of its candidate Pranav’s nomination, while an objection was raised against ABVP presidential candidate Ankit Bidhan.

As nominations closed at 10.30am and scrutiny began, the DSW office emerged as the centre of the day’s political activity. SOI members gathered outside the office from around 1pm, alleging that Pranav’s nomination had been rejected on the grounds of insufficient attendance despite his attendance having been verified earlier by the chemistry department. According to SOI, Pranav had personally got his attendance checked on Saturday, a working day, and was informed by the staff concerned that it was complete and sufficient for filing his nomination. The organisation, however, alleged that when he submitted his papers on Monday, he was told that his attendance fell short of the prescribed requirement.

SOI spokesperson Aamir Pannu said the group briefly shut Gate No. 2 during the protest before reopening it after receiving an assurance from the university administration that the matter was being examined. The DSW office, meanwhile, remained shut as SOI members continued their protest outside. While DSW officials could not be reached for comment, senior PU officials said the scrutiny committee was already examining the matter and a decision was expected within two to three hours.

The SOI protest recalled the familiar nomination-day friction that has often accompanied PU elections. Last year, objections to SATH candidate Ashmeet Singh’s candidature had also triggered a protest. In the current case, SOI sources claimed that protest was over the cancellation of the nomination of its presidential candidate, Pranav of Department of Chemistry, due to low attendance. Police personnel were deployed outside the DSW office after protesting students started banging and kicking the entrance door. SOI claimed the candidate's attendance was 78% till Saturday but was recorded at 68% on Monday. University authorities could not be reached for comment on the SOI protest.

The objection against ABVP’s Ankit Bidhan was reportedly linked to an FIR registered in connection with a Sector 15 clash. Bidhan has submitted his reply before the authorities, and an ABVP representative said they are positive about the matter. The Lyngdoh Committee guidelines state that a candidate should not have a criminal record and should not have been tried and/or convicted of a criminal offence.

Alliances and candidate announcements

ABVP has announced Ankit Bidhan as its candidate for the presidential seat. Bidhan has been an active party member since 2021. He completed his graduation in Jind, Haryana, and pursued his studies at PU’s law department. He is currently a research scholar at the Centre for the Study of Social Inclusion. ABVP will be looking to repeat its result from last year, after Gauravveer Singh Sohal won the PUCSC president’s post.

The first major alliance of student outfits was announced on Monday. The Association of Students for Alternative Politics will contest in alliance with the Indian National Students’ Organisation, Panjab University Democratic Front and independent candidate Vishal Bamal. Aadil Brar will contest the post of council president, Aryan Saharan general secretary, Armaan Singh Bhinder vice-president and Vishal Bamal joint secretary as candidates of the alliance.

Campaign activity and schedule

The Panjab University campus on Monday remained abuzz with activity as candidates for the student elections filed their papers, followed by shows of strength and a protest against the authorities over the cancellation of a nomination. Canvassing shifted to the top gear after all contesting candidates filed their nominations. During shows of strength at the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET), supporters of different groups threw papers into the air, leaving the area outside the canteen littered. “This should have been avoided, as it gives an unpleasant look to students and visitors,” said Shikha, a student. Similar scenes were witnessed at the University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS).

The nominations were filed between 9.30 am and 10.30 am by candidates at their respective departments. By the afternoon, the election activity shifted from departments to the Student Centre. ABVP held a show of strength at the Student Centre where Ankit Bidhan addressed students. By the evening, canvassing shifted to hostels.

A verbal spat occurred at the Department of Laws involving members of ASAP, a teacher, and a research scholar, with a nephew of a Punjab MLA present. The department chairperson resolved the matter after calling representatives from both sides.

The list of approved candidates is to be displayed Tuesday at 10.30 am, with withdrawals from 10.30 am to noon, the final list to be sent at 12.30 pm, and displayed at 2.30 pm. Candidates for college student council elections also filed nominations.