After the roll call the students cast their votes and mark their choice of the candidates on the ballot paper. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)By Angad Singh Brar
The Panjab University elections are conducted according to the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations which were accepted by the Supreme Court. The University follows the guidelines given by the Supreme Court in the University of Kerala versus Council, Principals of Colleges case.
The day of elections is actually planned well in advance by the PU’s office of the Dean of Student Welfare.
On the day of the election, the students are supposed to carry their university ID cards without which they will not be allowed to enter inside the campus. The students are supposed to enter their respective departments by 9:30 am, after which the entry to the departments is stopped. Within these departments, the teachers are present in designated classes or booths where they take a roll call of all the registered voters of their respective departments. During the roll call, students are supposed to show their ID cards to the teacher to confirm their identity.
After the roll call the students cast their votes and mark their choice of the candidates on the ballot paper. Normally, students have to cast two votes, that is, for Department Representative(DR) and for the office bearers. In the 2019 elections there are 23 departments which will undergo elections for DRs and other departments have unopposed candidates as their DRs.
The polling usually ends around 12. After the polling is finished, the students are made to leave and the committees formed in respective departments start counting the ballot papers for the posts of DRs.
The results for the elections of the DRs is declared forthwith. The sorting and counting of ballots for the posts of university office bearers is done at the Gymnasium hall. The results for these posts are also released the very same day. To maintain checks and balances, during this counting of votes at the gymnasium hall the contesting candidates are present along with one other student. If the candidates find anything objectionable in the process then they can raise an objection which leads to recounting of votes. Such a recounting has happened twice in past five years. After this election is over and the results are announced, there is another election.
This second election is for the Executive Council members and in this election only the elected DRs and elected office-bearers can vote. The security arrangement at the entry and exit points of the university remains beefed up throughout the day.
