In a confident victory, Yuva Sena's candidate Pradeep Balkrishna Sawant, secured his third consecutive win in the Mumbai University registered graduates constituency.
Sawant received more than 1,338 first-preference votes, marking another strong performance. Following this, Milind Satam also emerged victorious with 1,246 votes in the same constituency.
It must be noted that, all five Yuva Sena candidates in these constituencies were declared winners, concretising the party’s stronghold in the MU's senate elections, which took place after two complete years.
The beginnings of the circular issue
A circular issued by the University of Mumbai on September 20 has sparked controversy as it prohibits any student organisation or individual from conducting meetings, agitations, marches, hunger strikes, public assemblies, or similar events on university premises without prior permission from the administration.
“Without the prior permission of the Mumbai University Administration, any organization or person organising any form of meetings, agitations, marches, hunger strikes, public assemblies, and any similar programme in the premises of the university will be subject to appropriate legal action on behalf of the university administration," read the circular issued by the University of Mumbai, dated September 20.
The varsity’s vigilance and disaster management cell issued the prohibitory circular following a decision taken by the varsity’s management council at its September 12 meeting, to avoid any untoward incidents during senate elections.
As counting for the senate elections took place today, Friday, September 27, and with results out already, the timing of the circular has drawn criticism.
What are senate elections?
The senate serves as a crucial overseeing body for Mumbai University, consisting of representatives from students, faculty, principals, and management, with the authority to approve the university's budget.
The long-overdue senate elections, held on September 24, are particularly significant as the Shiv Sena (UBT) aims to strengthen its influence, while the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is challenging the current power structure.
In connection with the elections, the circular comes across as a move that suppresses students' voices and hence, questions are being raised regarding its release just before the elections.
EdexLive reached out to Siddharth Ingale, Founder-President of the Maharashtra Association of Student Unions (MASU). Expressing his concern, he stated, “This circular seeks to infringe on students' rights, which is unconstitutional. According to Indian law 19(1)(b), we have the right to assemble for peaceful protests and voice our demands. What they are attempting is entirely undemocratic and similar to a dictatorship.”
As per reports, MU students have reportedly burned the circular at the university gates.
Ingale further noted that the administration's intent appears to be suppressing student voices, warning that students may face repercussions for protesting against issues like delayed results.
“This is unlawful and detrimental to the academic environment,” Ingale asserted, urging the newly elected representatives to prioritise the withdrawal of the circular.
Furthermore, Budhabhushan Rajratna, a Master's student in Law, voiced the same sentiments, highlighting the political influences on university decisions. “If protests are aimed at advocating for students' rights and addressing the university's missteps, the administration should clarify its stance,” he remarked.
Rajratna criticised the involvement of police in student protests, stating, “The authority seeks to hide the irregularities surrounding the senate elections.” He noted that the requirement for candidates to pay a fee to stand in the elections has resulted in lower participation rates this year.
Reflecting on students' challenges, he added, “When students travel long distances for their results and then they don't get it, student organisations raise these issues to hold the administration accountable. However, the university seems reluctant to engage with these concerns.”
Siddharth believes that an ordinary student will not be able to voice his/her grievances owing to this circular. “This is unlawful and will certainly affect the study environment of students.”
Allegations of the senate elections being flawed, unlawful, and undemocratic were also emerged.
Sources have indicated that candidates were charged a fee of Rs 20 to contest, collected solely from students.
MASU, along with the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA), plans to demand the withdrawal of the circular from the Vice-Chancellor of Mumbai University on Monday, September 30.
In addition to this, when EdexLive reached out to Dr Prasad Karande, the university registrar, he declined to comment, citing the vote counting.
Notably, similar prohibitory circulars have also been issued by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in the past.
