Election process needs reforms: Senate candidates

“This year,political parties have jumped into the promotions in a big way and billboards and posters are being put up in an unprecedented manner. Somewhere,the focus is lost on this being an academic election,” he says. He feels that the issue of subsidized education should be promoted for the poor students of the university and feedback should be taken by the students on the newer courses to be introduced.

First time contestant in the senate elections,Balwinder Singh Ghuman,a businessman,attributes his candidature to his wish to come back to Panjab University.

“I feel that private institutes have degraded the standard of education and that institutes should be graded,that will motivate them to be at par with each other,improving the overall standards,” he says.

Anu Chatrath,contesting for the third time,points out that a large amount of resources are being wasted in printing the bulky election lists that desperately need revising.

“Every year,the voters keep on adding onto the existing list but there is no deletion,while many older voters may actually be no more,” she says. According to her,if this exercise is conducted at least once a month,then the list will drastically reduce by 50 per cent. She says that there is a need to bring greater transparency in the examination system and the issue needs to be taken up in the senate.

Ravinder Kumar,from the University School of Open Learning,has been a senator for two terms and emphasized that the senate being an academic body,members of the senate should be from the same background.

“The election process needs to reforms itself first. The voter list should be revised and the issuance of voter id cards with a photograph should be introduced,to prevent any duplication,fake voting or rigging during th eelections,” says Kumar.

The 27-year-old law student,Vineet Kumar,who is contesting in the senate elections for the first time,feels that the youth can give voice to the problems of the students. “Even though experienced people are required to formulate policies,the youth can understand the problems of the students better,” he says.

Dyal Pratap Singh Randhawa,another candidate contesting for the third time in the senate elections,also feels that the staff employment should not be increased upto 65 years of age as younger talent should be promoted.