Chandigarh: Student elections were Tuesday held in Chandigarh-based Panjab University (PU) and its affiliated colleges. The election took place after the pandemic-induced gap of two years. In all, 21 candidates locked horns for four posts -- President, Vice-President, General Secretary and Joint Secretary. Eight, including two women, are in the fray for the post of President.
Around 15,000 students voted to elect the four office-bearers of the Panjab University Campus Students' Council (PUCSC). The candidates fighting for the post of President included Ayush Khatkar, Bhavanjot Kaur, Madhav Sharma, Harish Gujjar, Gurvinder Singh Kamboj, Shivali, Jodh Singh and Gurjit Singh.
In the 2019 elections, Chetan Choudhary of the Student Organisation of India (SOI) was elected the campus president. Earlier in 2018, Kanupriya of Students for Society had become the first woman president. PUCSC elections are usually held in September.
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Campaigning had remained peaceful this time as tight security was provided inside and outside the city's colleges and the varsity campus. DAV College in Sector 10, Sri Guru Gobind Singh College in Sector 26, and GGDSD College in Sector 32 were under heavy police guard.
A neck-to-neck fight was expected between the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), which made its debut in the elections. CYSS, the student wing of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has drawn many prominent faces from other student bodies, including Nishant Kaushal, who was elected as the University Campus President in 2016.
