As many as 16153 students will vote at 167 polling booths in the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections scheduled to be held on Friday.
Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place for the PUCSC elections and election to various Students' Bodies in the affiliated 11 Colleges at Chandigarh.
To ensure peaceful and fair elections in PU and affiliated colleges, Chandigarh Police has deployed 8 gazetted officers (GO), 8 SHO, 18 Inspectors and 979 NGOs/ORs, said an officer of Chandigarh Police.
He said that further adequate arrangements for security of election material have been made. Lady GO and Lady Inspectors have been specially deployed at girls' colleges. Six executive magistrates have also been nominated with GOs, he said.
Notably, four students will be fighting it out for the post of president in the PUCSC elections. The representatives from National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Students’ Organisation of India (SOI), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Students’ for Society (SFS) namely Nikhil Narmeta, Chetan Chaudhary, Paras Rattan and Priya Garg will contest for the post of president.
Four candidates namely Divya Chopra (ABVP), Rahul Kumar (NSUI), Ramandeep Markan (ISA), Shabana Ansari (SFI) are vying for the post of vice president. Apart from this, four candidates are contesting for the post of secretary and six for the post of joint secretary.
Out of 128 Department representatives, 75 have been elected unopposed in PU.
“Keeping in view the elections, search operations have been conducted at Panjab University hostels to avoid any untoward incident and to restrain the unauthorised entry of outsiders in the premises,” the police officer said.
“There are 62 departments and around 16153 votes will be polled at 167 polling booths (28 buildings) at PU. Similarly there are different 8 Departments at South Campus UIET, Sector 25 here,” he said.
He said that special teams of intelligence and operations cell have also been deployed to keep an eye on any unsocial activities at Panjab University 24 X7, so that preventive measures could be initiated in advance. In addition, intelligence wings of Haryana, Punjab and Himachal have also been requested to share important inputs regarding gangsters’ unlawful activities in the election, the police officer added.
Last year, Kanupriya of Left-leaning Students for Society (SFS) was elected as the first woman president of the PUCSC.
