In the election to the Kerala University Senate from the student representatives constituency, KSU has gained an upper hand by winning six out of 10 seats while SFI won four seats.
The election was marked by scenes of violence as SFI and KSU workers clashed with each other following a dispute over the election to the reserved woman seat in the student representative constituency.
While Ajay S, Arun S P, Akhil J, Manu G Rajan, Nihal Mohammad and Saju Khan were the KSU representatives who won, Ajesh P V, Naina G S, Sibi M R and Vishnu Kumar R were the SFI nominees who made it to the Senate.
In the woman’s representative seat, both the candidates fielded by KSU and SFI failed to get even a single first preference vote. The decision of the Registrar to leave the seat vacant was questioned by SFI workers. Finally, the woman representative was selected through a toss which went in favour of the SFI candidate Naina G S.
The fairness of the counting process was repeatedly questioned by SFI activists who allegedly seized the tabulation sheet from the Registrar and tore it apart. Heated verbal arguments between SFI and KSU workers led to a clash in which KSU leaders, including state vice president T R Rohith and Ajay S, were injured.
‘’The impressive win of the KSU in the Senate election which comes after a gap of 25 years is a sign of the youth’s growing affinity towards the Congress party,,’’ KSU state president V S Joy said.
Cases Registered
The Cantonment police have registered cases against twenty-five identifiable activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI), who were allegedly involved in the clashes with the KSU workers, on the Kerala University campus here.
The case was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by KSU leader Rohit saying that a group of around 25 SFI activists had assaulted the KSU activists, including him, near the Senate Hall.