6 of 8 Candidates for PUCSC President’s Post Are Punjabi Faces

Chandigarh: In a major shift from recent years, six out of the eight candidates contesting for the Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) president’s post are Punjabi faces, hailing either from Punjab or Chandigarh. The final list of candidates was released by the varsity on Thursday.

This comes at a time when the university has been witnessing a decline in the number of students from Punjab due to migration and other factors. Over the years, students from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh have consistently grown in numbers, which was reflected in the election outcomes. Last year’s president Anurag Dalal and runner-up Prince Chaudhary were both from Haryana, while Punjabi candidates trailed behind with fewer votes.

In 2023, Jatinder Singh Virk of the NSUI campaigned under the name “Jatin” to attract Haryana and Himachal voters, while the 2022 winner Ayush Khatkar also came from Haryana. This year, only one candidate, Sumit Sharma, hails from Haryana, while the rest are Punjabis.

Former Punjab Youth Congress president Brinder Singh Dhillon welcomed the development, saying, “It is good to see so many Punjabi faces in the fray after years. The debate around renaming Panjab University to also include Haryana has left a mark, and this outcome was expected.”

ASAP spokesperson Vatanveer Singh Gill added that their candidate was chosen based on merit, not regional identity, but acknowledged that other parties also aligned their choices accordingly.

Interestingly, three women candidates are contesting for the president’s post, the same as last year. SOPU, which is fielding a female candidate for the first time in nearly 12 years, has nominated Ardas Kaur. She emphasized her commitment to women’s empowerment, saying parties often use it as a political tool, but she aims to genuinely work for women’s education and rights.

Meanwhile, a “rebel alliance” has surfaced, comprising candidates who switched parties, including Sumit Sharma (now contesting with Students Front backed by HIMSU), Naveen Kumar (ABVP Front), Abhishek Dagar (SOPU-Jashan faction), and Sidharth Boora (breakaway PUSU). Notably, this marks the first time in the university’s history that PUSU and SOPU factions have aligned, even if through splinter groups.

Alongside the presidential race, five candidates are contesting for vice-president, five for general secretary, and four for joint secretary. More alliances may form in the coming days, as no single party is fielding candidates for all four posts.