Pondicherry University has elected new student executives for the academic year 2019-20 as the results were declared on Wednesday. Student Federation of India (SFI), All India Students' Federation (AISF), and Ambedkar Periyar Students' Forum (APSF), the DMK Student Wing candidates swept the elections bagging almost all the office-bearers and executive committee member posts in the polls which was held in two phases. Parichay Yadav of SFI has been elected as the President while Kumar (AISF) and Mamatha (Female, SFI) were elected as Vice Presidents. Across all the panels, these three student organisations won, except one independent candidate seat.
The other winners include:
General Secretary - Kuralanban (APSF DMK Student Wing)
Vice President Male - Kumar (AISF)
Vice President Female - Mamatha (SFI)
Joint Secretary - Kuriakose Junior (SFI)
Executive Male - 1. Rupam Hazarika (SFI)
2. Al Rishal Shanavas (SFI)
Executive Female - 1. Swetha Venkiteswaran (SFI)
2. Anagha S (SFI)
3. Dhanavardhini (APSF)
The SFI had appealed to safeguard democracy before the elections began. "SFI is facing Students' Union election 2019-20 during grave times when privatisation and saffronisation have been fast seeping into educational spaces both through government actions and rightwing agendas. When the basic student rights and necessities are being denied and the democratic spaces in the campuses around the country are under threat, we urge the student community to denounce dividers, safeguard democracy," the SFI had said in a promotional post on social media leading up to the elections.
"Students of Pondicherry University have once again proved that SFI should be there in the forefront to fight for their rights in a time in which administration tries to suppress all the voices which are raising against them. As the former president of Pondicherry University students' council, I extend my revolutionary greetings to all the current elected office bearers at the varsity," Junaid Nazar, former SFI PU president told Edex.
The first phase of Pondicherry University Students' Council election concluded on August 28 with SFI winning majority seats. The second phase polling and results were supposed to took place on August 31. The university follows a parliamentary mode of election where elected representatives of different schools of the university and its campuses elect the office bearers.
