PATNA: The
Patna University administration has requisitioned 600 ballot boxes from the state election office, which will be used at the 46 polling booths to be created for voting in the Patna University Students’ Union (PUSU) election on February 17.
The PU election committee has also published the dummy ballot papers for all the PUSU offices in different colours and got them pasted on the campus notice boards for the benefit of candidates.
A meeting of the deans of faculties, heads of departments and principals of colleges besides the teachers and staff associated with the polling work has been convened at 2pm on Tuesday in the academic council room to discuss the basics of polling work, said PU chief election officer P K Poddar.
The election committee is also having discussions with all the presidential candidates to decide the date and venue of their open-house debate. The debate is likely to be held at the Patna Science College grounds on February 15, sources said.
The PUSU election has instilled a fresh lease of life among the varsity’s politically-conscious students. The wannabe student leaders are leaving no stone unturned for ensuring their victory at the hustings so as to get a passport to active politics.
Campaigning for the PUSU election gained momentum on Monday with candidates stepping up classroom canvassing and corner meetings. Representatives of different student organizations took out processions on the campus, shouting slogans in support of their candidates.
Several candidates along with their supporters were seen moving from one department to another and contacting student-voters to seek votes. They were also seen visiting different hostels of the university to garner the boarders’ support.
Issues of faculty shortage, limited accommodation in hostels, lack of infrastructural facilities on the campus, lack of proper security to girl students and poor academic atmosphere were raised by the students’ representatives engaged in campaigning.
