The English and Foreign Languages University (Eflu) has issued a notification for students’ elections, setting at rest speculation of the last two months. The election process starts with the filing of nominations from October 31 and the polls will be conducted on November 8. Results will be declared the next day. However, students from the Telangana region have decided to boycott the polls, being held after a gap of three years, to protest implementation of the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations.
Both the Telangana Students’ Association (TSA) and the Telangana Vidhyarthi Vedika (TVV) have opted out of the fray. “We are against the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee as they are totally undemocratic. It is very restricting, and it negates the autonomous nature of the university,” said N Satish, general secretary of TSA. G Seetaramulu from the TVV pointed out, “the election committee (EC) was set up by the university itself, and it shows that everything was planned in advance without taking the consent of students.”
The EC constituted by the university consists of two students, one professor, administration staff member, and a chairperson, who will head the group. The EC will also act as the grievance cell during the election process if students have any complaints.
Mohan Dharawath from the Dalit Adivasi Bahujan Minorities Students’ Association (DABMSA) also felt the age restriction in the student elections will not allow many to contest. “Only those below 25 and 28 can contest from among the post-graduate and P.hD students. And only those between 17-22 from under-graduate courses can contest. This won’t give a chance for students from backward communities to stand for posts as they tend to enrol late in universities,” he explained. He, however, added that students from his organisation will contest as there is a need for student representation, and the chance has come after three long years.
This time, many students are planning to contest as independent candidates without the backing of student groups. Other organisations like the Democratic Students Front (DSF) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parsihad (ABVP) are otherwise happy as elections will be held.