CHANDIGARH: Panjab University is all set to witness a four-cornered contest between Students For Society (SFS), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), and Student Organization of India (SOI) on Thursday, with 15,300 students eligible to cast vote in the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections.This year, 162 polling booths have been set up across all departments in the north and south campuses.Polling will begin at 9.30am and ballot boxes will only be collected from the returning officer of the block concerned and brought to the Gymnasium Hall by DSW, staff and wardens. The results of department representatives (DRs) will be displayed in the departments concerned by noon. “Entry of students will start at 9am, followed by attendance by 9.30 am. Entry of students will be allowed only till 10am, as voting starts from 10-11am. In all, 123 department representatives (DR) will be elected,” said dean student welfare (DSW) Prof Emanual Nahar.This year, fight for the presidential post will be between Kanu Priya from SFS, Anuj Singh from NSUI, Avinash Rana from ABVP, Iqbal Preet Singh (Prince) from SOI, Ravinder Bir Singh from PUSU, and Amandeep from PSU (Lalkaar). Kanu Priya is from the zoology department, Anuj is from Dr SSB UICET; Rana is from the University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS), Iqbal is from the centre of human rights; Ravinder is from the Dr HSJ Institute of Dental Sciences; and Amandeep is from the department of Urdu.SFS will only contest for the president’s post, NSUI is contesting the entire panel without any alliance, and ABVP along with SFPU is contesting for all the four posts this year.Counting of votes for the office-bearers will be held at Gymnasium Hall and the counting of votes for DRs will be held at their respective departments. DSW Nahar said a day’s attendance has been given as an incentive for student’s participation. “Adequate security arrangements on the PU campus and Gymnasium Hall have been made for smooth conduct of students’ election. All students have been advised to carry their identity card. Entry will be allowed from all gates, except PU Dental College Gate, Sector 25. Teachers from various departments, hostel wardens, sports department, former wardens and non-teaching staff are on duty,” added Nahar.The run-up to the election has been a controversial one this year. While a party hosted by ABVP on Tuesday evening led to protests by all parties on Tuesday, the BJP’s youth wing said the NSUI and SOI also indulged in wooing voters by unfair menas.

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