Presidency University's students' union elections to clash with mid-sem exams

Kolkata, Oct 22: A day after Presidency University issued a notification to hold students' union polls on November 14, a representative body of the students said on Tuesday that many would not be able to participate in the electoral process as the date would clash with mid-semester exams.

The West Bengal government had put students' union polls on hold for over two years in four state universities. Alleging that the university authorities did not seek the opinion of all the unions, the Independent Consolidation (IC) said in a statement, "We are not sure about the fairness and transparency of the entire election process."

The IC held a meeting on the campus on October 22 to press for its demand "for ensuring participation of all students in the electoral process."

On October 21, Presidency University Dean of Students Arun Maity issued a notification that said election to the five posts of the students union will be held on November 14. The notification followed the decision of the Higher Education department to give go-ahead to Presidency University to hold elections, Maity said.

Besides Presidency University, Jadavpur University, Rabindra Bharati University, and Diamond Harbour Women's University were also allowed to conduct elections whenever they deemed appropriate.

A letter in this regard was sent by the assistant secretary of state for the Higher Education Department to the vice-chancellors of the four universities on Thursday.

Students' Federation of India (SFI), All India Democratic Students' Organisation, All India Students' Association, and All India Students' Federation are the other contenders for the poll.