The Students Federation of India (SFI) made apparent gains in the union elections held in colleges under the University of Calicut on Thursday. SFI candidates achieved sweeping victories in most colleges in Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur, and Wayanad districts.
SFI Malappuram district president N.M. Shafeek claimed that the organisation made the biggest achievement in the district by capturing student unions of 22 colleges from the KSU and MSF. However, the SFI lost control of five colleges in the district.
The colleges where SFI tasted defeat are MES Keveeyam College, Valanchery; Mar Thoma College, Chungathara; JM College, Tirur; Sahya College, Wandoor; and Majlis College, Valanchery.
Govt colleges
The SFI won five out of the six government colleges in Malappuram district, where elections were held on Thursday. While it lost Government Women’s College, Malappuram, it registered resounding victories in all other government colleges, including Government
College, Malappuram.
SFI activists took out demonstrations in the district to celebrate their victory in institutions managed by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders.
Retains strongholds
For the first time, the SFI captured the union at Amal
College, Nilambur, and Najat College, Karuvarakundu.
When SFI maintained hold in its traditional strongholds like NSS College, Manjeri, and TMG College, Tirur, the MSF and KSU retained supremacy in PSMO College, Tirurangadi, and EMEA College, Kondotty.
Elections were postponed in MES Ponnani College and Government College, Kondotty. MES Mampad College, an autonomous institution, will hold elections on August 26.
More than 300 colleges affiliated to the university went to polls on Thursday. The colleges were given the option to conduct elections either in presidential mode or parliamentary mode. Several colleges switched over to parliamentary mode for the first time after the High
Court gave them freedom of choice.
In two modes
The Principals of private colleges had approached the court demanding the right to hold elections either in presidential or parliamentary mode. They had pointed out student unrest and clashes as a reason for their demand to shift the election to parliamentary from presidential mode.
However, some colleges witnessed disputes and clashes even after the colleges were given the choice in the mode of elections.