Bageshwar campus election row grows after Rahul Kumar’s nomination is rejected, boycott threatened

A dispute over the student union election at Pandit BD Pandey Campus in Bageshwar escalated on Saturday after presidential candidate Rahul Kumar’s nomination was rejected. Other candidates staged a protest and warned that they could stay away from the election if all contestants are not given an equal opportunity.

Candidates from NSUI and other s gathered on the campus, raised slogans and submitted a memorandum to the campus director and the chief election officer of Soban Singh Jeena University. They alleged that Kumar’s nomination was improperly rejected on 24 September under pressure from those in power.

The protesters demanded that the nomination exercise be restarted. They said a collective election boycott would follow if the administration did not ensure equal treatment for all candidates.

Candidates submit memorandum

The delegation included vice-president candidate Gajendra Sah, Babita Arya, secretary candidate Akhil Parihar, treasurer candidate Monika, joint secretary candidate Priya Bhandari, Neha Danu, Anamika, Neeraj, Lalit Kumar, Kapil, Riya, Komal and Vijay.

The controversy remained visible during the campus general meeting held for the election. An NSUI university representative candidate raised slogans against the campus administration over the cancellation of the presidential candidate’s nomination.

The meeting also saw a heated exchange between supporters of NSUI and ABVP. Police intervened between the groups and brought the situation under control. Candidates used the meeting to seek votes and made promises to students.

Officials give election details

Nomination scrutiny officer Dr Shiv Prakash Rai said the nominations examined during the process were found valid. The election authorities also reported uncontested outcomes for 2 s.

Anjali Bisht was the only candidate for treasurer, while Sunita Arya was the sole nominee for cultural secretary. Both nominations were declared valid, making their election to the respective s uncontested.

Chief election officer Dr Awadhesh Tiwari said 2 candidates each had valid nomination papers for 6 s. These are president, vice-president, vice-president (women), secretary, joint secretary and university representative.

Voting for these 6 s will take place on 29 September. Principal Dr DN Tiwari said the administration was conducting the election in a fair and transparent manner.

Dispute over reason for rejection

The rejection has produced competing claims about what led to the decision. Former student union president Saurabh Joshi rejected allegations made by NSUI against the government, administration and ABVP.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Joshi said the nomination was not cancelled because of administrative or political pressure. He claimed it was rejected because Rahul Kumar had provided misleading information.

Bablu Mehra, Karan Gadhia, Shivani Parihar and Bunty Kumar were present at the press conference. No further official explanation about the disputed information was provided in the available account.

Conclusion

The Bageshwar campus election will proceed on 29 September for 6 contested s, while the dispute over Rahul Kumar’s rejected nomination and the boycott warning remains unresolved.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why are students protesting at Pandit BD Pandey Campus?

Students are protesting the rejection of Rahul Kumar’s nomination for the president’s . Other candidates have alleged that the decision was improper.

Q. What have the protesting candidates demanded?

They have demanded that the nomination process be conducted again and that every candidate receive an equal opportunity.

Q. What warning have the candidates issued?

They have warned that they may collectively boycott the election if their demand for equal treatment is not met.

Q. When will voting take place for the contested s?

Voting for the president, vice-president, vice-president (women), secretary, joint secretary and university representative s will take place on 29 September.

Q. Which s have uncontested outcomes?

Anjali Bisht was the sole valid nominee for treasurer, and Sunita Arya was the only valid nominee for cultural secretary.

Q. Why does Saurabh Joshi say Rahul Kumar’s nomination was rejected?

Joshi claimed that the nomination was rejected because Kumar provided misleading information. He rejected allegations of administrative or political pressure.