Patna: The nomination process for the Patna University Students’ Union elections concluded on Wednesday, setting the stage for scrutiny of papers on February 19. University authorities said the list of accepted candidates would be released by 5pm following verification. A total of 51 candidates have filed nominations for five central panel posts, while 54 contenders are competing for 22 councillor positions across constituent colleges and faculties.
The presidential race has drawn the highest interest, with 16 candidates entering the contest. Nine candidates each are competing for the posts of general secretary, vice-president and treasurer, while four nominees are in the fray for joint secretary. The scrutiny committee will examine all submissions and publish lists of accepted and rejected nominations later in the day.
Candidates dissatisfied with the scrutiny outcome may submit objections before the higher appellate authority by 1pm on February 20. Nomination withdrawals will be allowed until February 21, after which the university will release the final list of eligible contestants, confirming the ballot lineup for the student body polls.
In a parallel development, police detained presidential aspirant Anchal Kumar outside Patna Women’s College following tensions linked to ticket allocation. Kumar and his supporters allegedly staged a protest at the office of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad after he was denied the organisation’s ticket despite filing nomination papers. The group informed police about the incident, leading to his detention.
Nominations for councillor posts have been filed from institutions including Patna Science College, Patna Law College, Magadh Mahila College and BN College among others. Notably, only one candidate each filed nominations from Patna Training College and Women’s Training College Patna, making their election unopposed.
Several student organisations have also announced presidential candidates, highlighting a multi-cornered contest. ABVP has nominated Anushka, Chhatra JDU has fielded Prince, while All India Students Federation has named Geeta Kumari Sharma. All India Students Association has nominated Saba Afreen and National Students’ Union of India has fielded Shantanu Shekhar, underscoring the competitive nature of the upcoming campus election.
