The authorities at Panjab University seem to have left no stone unturned to ensure that the Students Council elections pass off smoothly on Friday. Nearly 11,000 students are expected to vote in the annual elections,which have candidates from PUSU,SOUP-INSO,ABVP-SOI and NSUI-HPSU alliances,and three Independents in the fray. The voting will begin at 10 am and the students who want to vote are required to reach their respective departments by 9.45 am. Entry will not be allowed after 10am. The polling is expected to end by 11.30 am,after which the counting will begin. The results are likely to be declared by 3pm at the Students Centre. To avoid any untoward incident,the university authorities have deployed nearly 200 police personnel on the campus,in addition to the PUs own security staff. Also,only Gate No 2 will be used for entry to the campus and no bus will be allowed to ply in the university. The main contest is likely to be between the SOPU-INSO alliance and PUSU. While SOPU was in power last year,PUSU won the elections a year before. Last year,around 60 per cent voting was registered. This percentage is expected to increase this year,as the number of professional courses has gone up and so has the number of students. * Only students with ID cards will be allowed to vote * Entry only from Gate No 2 * No bus will operate in the university Classes suspended till September 7 PU has decided to suspend all its classes from September 4 to September 7. Although the university will remain closed on Monday,all admissions/meetings will be held as usual,according to official sources. Election schedule 9:45 AM: Students are required to reach their respective departments 10 AM: Entry to all departments will close 11:30 AM (expected time): Polling will get over 3 PM (expected time): Declaration of results,followed by elections to the Department Representatives Turnout likely to be hit Though the college has decided to go ahead with the elections on Friday,there is uncertainty over the voter turnout. Hostel residents have started packing their bags to leave. Most girls said they would stay away from the polling process. Many SOPU supporters have also underground after the clash. who are you voting for? Name: Arshbir Singh Johal Party: PUSU Department: Law Promises: No hike in fee Three new hostels Central university status for PU Name: Ashwathy Rajan Party: ABVP-SOI alliance Department: Zoology Promises: More representation of girls in PU activities Strengthening the placement cell of PUMore hostels for boys and girls Name: Amit Bhatia Party: SOPU-INSODepartment: UIETPromises: Insurance of students valuables Better hostel facilities Basic infrastructure and improved facilities in depts
