Panjab University student polls: NSUI walks out of alliance with INSO, HPSU; to contest independently

Sources said the alliance was split after a spat between NSUI member Anurag Vardhan and NSUI leader Sikander Boora, who looks after all NSUI affairs on the PU campus.

Later, Anurag Vardhan joined the INSO and also lodged a police complaint against Sikander Boora alleging that Boora slapped him at UIET, Sector 25. Vardhan is now contesting the post of vice president from the INSO, a student body backed by the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP).

A source said, “Vardhan, a student of the University Institute of Engineering and Technology, had filed his nomination for the post of vice president independently but wanted to contest it as an NSUI nominee in an alliance with the INSO and the HPSU. NSUI leaders wanted to contest merely one post and they were willing to give up the vice president’s post for the candidate of Panjab University Helping Hands (PUHH), another student union in the university, which was not acceptable to Anurag Vardhan.”

Sources said the INSO also agreed to form the alliance with the NSUI on the condition that Anurag Vardhan would contest for the vice president’s seat as its representative.

When contacted, NSUI leader Sikander Boora said, “Our national in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar recently announced that the NSUI will only contest one seat. We had formed an alliance but now have decided to contest the student elections independently.”

Asked about the complaint filed by Anurag Vardhan, Boora maintained, “There are always differences of opinions in an organisation. Everything has been sorted out.”

INSO leader Pankaj Nain said, “There is no place for violence in student politics. When we saw the differences among NSUI leaders, we decided to stay away from the alliance. The NSUI’s house itself is not in the order. Indeed, Anurag Vardhan has now joined the INSO. He is the vice presidential candidate of our alliance.”

Sachin Galav Sharma, president, NSUI (Chandigarh unit), said, “The alliance was formed in the morning and split in the night yesterday. The NSUI will emerge stronger than earlier. We have a strong base in the university.”