While the students’ wings of all major political parties have decided not to participate in the students’ election of the Ravenshaw University under the proposed new format, the university authorities on Thursday announced the dates of elections notwithstanding the protests inside the campus.
Vice-Chancellor Prakash Chandra Sarangi announced that under the proposed alternative model, the elections for the proposed Students’ Council would be held on August 22 and 23, the notifications for which would be issued on August 21.
Plain ballot papers under the signature of class teachers would be used if required to elect class representatives.
“The elections for various class representatives of all the 30 departments will be held separately on August 22; and on the following day, the elected class representatives will elect their respective
school conveners and deputy conveners,” Prof Sarangi said, adding that this decentralised model of elections would curb election-related violence in the campus.
All the 30 departments of the university are grouped under nine separate schools as per their course curriculums.
The elected Conveners and Deputy Conveners of different schools would be the Presidium of the Students’ Council, which would meet every month and the Conveners of each school would chair each meeting on a rotation basis.
On the other hand, the students’ organisations upped their ante against the new format of elections and launched widespread protests disrupting the classes in the campus demanding elections for Students’ Union as was done earlier.
Police are keeping a watch on the developments of the surcharged university campus.
While Biju Chhatra Janata Dal activists submitted a memorandum in this regard to the Vice-Chancellor, the hunger strike by ABVP activists in front of the VC’s office entered the sixth day.
Other students’ outfits, including the All India DSO and the National Students’ Union of India are busy garnering public support against the university’s move.