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For the first time in over 15 years, no student from the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET) will contest any of the four office-bearer posts in the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections this year.
The final departmental list was prepared and sent to the Dean Students Welfare (DSW) office on Monday. UIET students, however, will contest departmental representative (DR) posts.
The development is significant as UIET has the largest voter base on the Panjab University campus. Last year, 2,535 of the 16,142 votes polled were from the department, making it the biggest voting bloc. Although the department is located at the South Campus in Sector 25, student parties routinely campaign there because of the importance of its votes.
Party insiders said even groups that have performed poorly in the past can expect around 500 votes by fielding a candidate from UIET. Despite this, parties have decided against fielding a candidate from the department this year.
A party official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were no strong candidates from UIET this year. Parties, however, continue to campaign there. On Monday, presidential candidate Darshpreet Singh of Sath, along with other candidates, held a show of strength at the department.
The absence of a UIET candidate marks a departure from last year’s contest. Seerat had contested the presidential election from UIET on the Students Organisation of India (SOI) ticket.
In 2024, Tarun Sidhu, a UIET student, had joined SOI shortly before the elections after leaving Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS). As the only candidate from UIET that year, he secured 1,061 votes, finishing fourth among nine candidates and just behind Arpita Malik of ABVP, who polled 1,114 votes.
Meanwhile, the University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS) and the department of laws were among the most active departments during nomination filing. Aadil Brar of the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP) is a final-year UILS student, while Ankit Bidhan completed his postgraduate studies from the department of laws. Sath’s presidential candidate Darshpreet Singh is also a UILS alumnus.
The two departments also have sizeable voter bases. UILS recorded 1,921 votes last year, while the department of laws had 1,094, making them the second- and third-largest voting blocs at PU. Both are expected to play an important role in this year’s presidential contest.
