JNU polls delayed, scheduled on March 1

The students’ union elections at the Jawaharlal Nehru University have been deferred by a week after an all-party meeting sought more time to prepare for the process. 

 The procedure of elections was earlier scheduled to start on Monday with polling on February 23.

However, with the notification from the administration in this regard coming only last Friday, the students felt they needed a little more time.  At an all-party meeting called by the JNUSU election Committee on Monday, the students proposed a revised schedule and sent it to the administration for ratification. The new schedule, once approved by the administration, will be publicly displayed on Tuesday. New date The fresh tentative programme has proposed March 1 for the polling, while the process of nomination is to be held on February 21.

On the next day, the list will be displayed for verification and withdrawals have to take place the same day.  The tentative date for the Presidential debate is February 28 before the polling on March 1.

SC’s earlier order The Supreme Court in December last year lifted its stay on elections in JNU that it imposed in 2008 citing violations of the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations. The politically-active varsity has been without a union for four years and the apex court's December verdict brought much jubilation in the campus. 

However, technical issues delayed the reinstatement of the process, and at this stage of the semester it will be little more than a formality.

But the students still are keen to go ahead with it. Last month, a group of students, disappointed over the varsity administration's handling of the issue, held a six-day -long hunger strike.  The JNU administration was then seeking legal counsel on the issue as the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations state that elections have to be held within six to eight weeks of the new academic session.

The election is being held in this semester as a one-time arrangement.