For the first time in over 15 years, no student from the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET) will contest any of the four office-bearer posts in the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections this year.
Last year, 2,535 of the 16,142 votes polled were from the department, making it the biggest voting bloc. Party insiders said even groups that have performed poorly in the past can expect around 500 votes by fielding a candidate from UIET. The development is significant as UIET has the largest voter base on the Panjab University campus. Despite this, parties have decided against fielding a candidate from the department this year. Parties, however, continue to campaign there. Seerat had contested the presidential election from UIET on the Students Organisation of India (SOI) ticket.
Because of the importance of its votes, although the department is located at the South Campus in Sector 25, student parties routinely campaign there.
A party official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were no strong candidates from UIET this year.
The absence of a UIET candidate marks a departure from last year’s contest. On Monday, presidential candidate Darshpreet Singh of Sath, along with other candidates, held a show of strength at the department.
In 2024, Tarun Sidhu, a UIET student, had joined SOI shortly before the elections after leaving Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS). As the only candidate from UIET that year, he secured 1,061 votes, finishing fourth among nine candidates and just behind Arpita Malik of ABVP, who polled 1,114 votes. Meanwhile, the University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS) and the department of laws were among the most active departments during nomination filing. Aadil Brar of the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP) is a final-year UILS student, while Ankit Bidhan completed his postgraduate studies from the department of laws. Sath’s presidential candidate Darshpreet Singh is also a UILS alumnus.
