Amid protests, polls to student councils held in Haryana after 22 years

After a gap of 22 years, Haryana witnessed students’ council polls in colleges and universities, but all major student bodies, except the ABVP, boycotted the polls. Students staged protests in different parts of the state to oppose indirect polls. The government claimed that the elections were held peacefully.

SFI state president Shahnawaj told The Indian Express that police arrested and rounded up protesting students in Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Panipat and Jind, while some protesters faced lathicharge in Faridabad.

Student organisations, including NSUI, INSO and SFI had declared that they will boycott the elections demanding direct polls to elect office-bearers of students’ councils. However, the government maintained that it would hold direct polls from next year. The BJP had promised to hold polls to the students’ councils, which were discontinued by the Bansi Lal government in 1996, following incidents of violence.

Till Wednesday evening, results were declared in 11 state universities and 224 colleges.

Haryana Education Minister Ram Bilas said that as per the results received up to 5 pm on Wednesday, elections to elect over 1,000 Class Representatives (CRs) in 11 state universities were completed, in which 517 candidates were elected unopposed and 254 through polling process.

These candidates have cast their votes to elect president, vice-president, secretary, deputy secretary and five executive council members, he added.

He said that elections were also held in all colleges which were established in 2016-17 or before. As per the results received till 5 pm Wednesday, elections to elect 4,011 CRs were held in 224 colleges out of a total 288 colleges in the state. In these elections, 1,862 candidates were elected unopposed and 966 through election process. The elected candidates also voted to elect students’ council in their colleges, he added.
News Source (Indian Express)