The use of social media definitely is on the rise at the University of Hyderabad where student body elections are scheduled for Thursday. Gone are the days when a poll campaign meant meeting and greeting every student on the campus. This time, online campaign has picked up with the result that the on-ground campaign took a back seat.
Anything from alleged transfer of university lands to institutions to the recent security lapses are being raised by student groups against their opponents. While Telangana and Dalit issues are also among the most discussed issues, a proposed increase in fee and lack of basic facilities continue to remain on the agenda of the unions this year too.
Heated debates could be read online on Facebook, Twitter and google groups. Amidst all this war of words, each group is confident of making a mark.
With the Students’ Federation of India and Ambedkar Students’ Association (SFI-ASA) alliance having split after two years in power, there is a ray of hope for the other groups. Many believe the split in votes would only benefit the Akhil Bharateeya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and help it win the polls.
With a new partner, the Ambedkar Students Association, the National Students Union of India (NSUI is confident of retaining power. But, claiming themselves as ‘the third front’, all other smaller organisations have come under one umbrella to make the contest tougher.
Organisations like the Bahujan Students’ Front (BSF), Telangana Students’ Association (TSA), Telangana Vidhyarthi Vedika (TVV) and Tribal Students’ Front (TSF) have all joined hands to form the third front this year while Dalit Students Union (DSU) has opted to boycott the elections.
The elections were postponed after alleged remarks over Telangana issue during the University General Body Meeting held earlier to decide the election committee.
However, due to the inability of the university to decide on a student-represented election committee, the Vice-Chancellor has appointed four returning officers and two non-teaching faculty as the core team to conduct the student body elections, said BV Sharma, dean of students’ welfare.