Gangadhar Meher University reforms students’ union poll process
SAMBALPUR: The election committee of Gangadhar Meher University has reformed the students’ union poll process to make it more democratic. The university has been holding indirect election to its students’ union since 2000 through an electoral college. The varsity, as part of the reforms, has allowed regular students to contest the polls from the 2018-19 academic session. Prior to this, only those from the electoral college were allowed to contest the polls. However, the electoral college will continue to have the voting rights.
Deputy Registrar of GMU Uma Charan Pati said students who are not members of the electoral college will be allowed to contest for the post of president, vice-president, general secretary and assistant general secretary. “However, they will not be allowed to contest in the other executive posts,” he added.
As per the election guidelines of the varsity, the toppers of each year from every department beginning from plus-three first year to PG final year are nominated to the electoral college. Besides, two students, including one from the undergraduate programme and one from postgraduate programme are also nominated to the electoral college on the basis of extra-curricular activities.
However, the majority of the toppers were not keen to be nominated to the electoral college owing to various reasons, paving the way for lower rank holders to make it to the poll body.From the current session, the varsity has made it mandatory for toppers to be nominated to the electoral college, Pati said. He added that the varsity authorities have also decided to resume the ‘Why I Stand For’ meeting for candidates ahead of the election scheduled to be held on October 11. The institution had stopped holding the ‘Why I Stand For’ meeting after 2006 due to a scuffle among the students during the meeting, he said.