Weeks after uncertainty over the conduct of its annual elections, the Panjab University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) has scheduled its 2026-27 elections for October 28, following discrepancies in membership-fee transactions that forced the postponement of the original polling date of September 30.
Because of insufficient balance in individual accounts were resolved, in a notice dated October 8 (Thursday), PUTA president Amarjit Singh Naura and secretary Mritunjay Kumar said the elections had been rescheduled after complaints regarding possible double deductions of membership fees and cases in which transactions processed by the State Bank of India (SBI) were reversed. The accounts have since been reconciled and verified, the notice stated. The fresh date comes amid criticism from a section of faculty members, who had questioned the delay in announcing the election schedule and the subsequent postponement of the polls, alleging that the association had failed to adhere to the timeline prescribed under its constitution.
PUTA also stated that the membership list, along with a detailed revised election schedule specifying the date for filing nominations, would be released subsequently. Prof Parveen Goyal, who had written to the PUTA president on behalf of several teachers, had alleged that the election schedule was announced without consulting the executive committee or convening a general body meeting (GBM). The notice did not specify the nomination dates or provide a fresh timeline for the remaining stages of the election process. The postponement triggered objections from several faculty members, who accused the incumbent leadership of taking decisions without adequate consultation. Goyal had demanded that an emergency GBM be convened and a fresh election calendar issued after consultation with members. Former PUTA president Rajat Sandhir had also termed the delay unprecedented, arguing that teachers should have an elected body within the constitutionally stipulated period.
The election schedule is to be announced within 15 days of PU reopening after the summer vacation, and the election process is to be completed within 45 days, according to the PUTA constitution. The university reopened on July 30, while the election schedule was announced on September 12, with polling initially fixed for September 30. With October 28 now fixed as the polling date, the next steps include releasing the membership list, inviting objections, finalising the electoral roll and issuing the detailed schedule for nominations and other election-related activities.
