Admissions are over, colleges have opened with much fanfare as old and new students started the new academic year with hope and enthusiasm. But soon, studies are going to take a back seat as election fever grips students across city colleges. The students’ elections across various degree colleges, including DAV, DBS, SGRR and MKP College will kick-start on August 22 and conclude by the end of the month.
MKP PG College, the largest girls college in Doon, is taking the lead in the elections that will be held on August 22. DBS PG College will hold elections on August 26 and SGRR PG College on August 27. DAV PG College is yet to finalize the dates till the time of filing this report as a meeting was still on. However, sources claimed the college elections would be held on or after August 27, but before the month-end.
Across these colleges, student leaders are using social media platforms to reach out to fellow students to seek their support even before official campaigning has started. The main parties in the fray are NSUI and ABVP, but SFI and other parties like the Aryan group, Pattu group and independent candidates are also not leaving any stone unturned to garner support before the D-day.
Excited at the upcoming elections, DAV College student union president Paras Goyal said, “ABVP has been winning the college elections for the past eight terms. We have done good work, and supported and solved many issues in the past year. I am sure, ABVP will continue with its winning streak at DAV College”
Refuting the claims, DAV College’s former university representative, Saurabh Mamgain, said, “It is time that a new party is given a chance to prove its mettle. It is true that ABVP has been winning for many years, but this year we are hopeful that NSUI will make a comeback. Problems of students can be better addressed by a party like NSUI, as we have very strong candidates who have a better connect with the student community.”
It is learnt that at MKP PG College, names of candidates would be declared on August 17. And in the next few days, all colleges will officially declare the candidates’ lists.
“For the past five years, the ABVP has been winning the college elections, because every year ABVP does something special which the students do not forget. This year, for women’s safety, we started with karate sessions since September. We will surely win again this year,” said ABVP’s Sapna Chauhan, MKP College president.
At DBS College, in the past four years, rivals NSUI and ABVP have won two elections each. This year it will be a tough fight between them. “We will nominate our best candidates to contest the elections. Though ABVP won last year, NSUI will emerge victorious this year,” said Vipul Gaur, general secretary at DBS PG College.
At SGRR PG College, NSUI declared its contestants on Wednesday. “In our college, ABVP and NSUI take the lead every alternate year. At present, ABVP is in power, but we are sure that NSUI will win the elections this time,” said Nitin Chandila, former university representative from SGRR PG College.
