24 September,2024 06:55 AM IST | Mumbai | Dipti Singh
Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad stage a protest at the university against the postponement of elections. Pic/Ashish Raje
After a series of back-and-forth decisions regarding the much-anticipated and "controversial" Senate elections, Mumbai University is finally set to conduct the Graduate Senate elections today. But, a student activist has approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the elections and has demanded a probe. While SC refused to halt the process, it has scheduled a hearing on the matter today, coinciding with voting day. Siddharth Ingale, president of the Maharashtra Students Union (MASU), filed an online petition requesting the postponement of the elections for the Mumbai University Registered Graduates constituency. Adv Sangram Bhosale will represent the Yuva Sena during the hearing.
In the petition, Ingale alleged that the election process was flawed and politically motivated. He stated, "The elections are more focused on political parties rather than student interests. There is a sharp decline in voter registration, which indicates deeper issues within the election process. We are seeking a stay on the elections and an inquiry into the process."
The confusion surrounding the election intensified when Mumbai University abruptly announced on September 20 that it was postponing the elections, just 48 hours before the original date of September 22. This decision came after the state's Higher and Technical Education Department ordered a temporary suspension of the polls on September 19 due to concerns over low voter enrollment. The university attributed the postponement to a government-initiated probe into the voter registration process.
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Initially, the elections were notified on August 3, under Clause 28(2)(n) of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act of 2016. The September 20 circular emphasised that all relevant parties - voters, candidates, and election officials - be promptly notified, and the necessary preparations for the polls be made in a timely manner. Despite the delay, the voter list remains valid pending further instructions from the government.
On September 21, the Bombay High Court stayed the state government's decision to postpone the elections, directing Mumbai University to proceed. The university then informed the court that it would conduct the elections on September 24, citing practical challenges in organising the elections on such short notice for the original date.
The election process has been marred by controversy, particularly around voter registration. Following a string of controversies surrounding the registration of voters in the graduate constituency, which included accusations of duplication, fraudulent registrations, legal battles, and the annulment of voter lists last year, the university has now announced that 50 per cent of the newly compiled voter list has been declared ineligible.
This has irked the students and youth wing contesting in the process. Highlighting the timing towards the conclusion of the ongoing academic year and coinciding with the general elections of 2024, youth wings have criticised Mumbai University. For the graduate constituency, a fresh voter registration process for 10 seats was conducted from October 30 to November 30, 2023. Subsequently, the verification of applications began on December 1, 2023, and continued until February 25, 2024. According to the schedule published by the university, the final voter list was released on February 26.
Following this, applications from candidates were to be accepted on March 11, and the process, including verification, appeals, voting, and counting, was to take place on April 21 and 24, respectively. However, on February 28, the university issued a circular with new instructions and schedules. Accordingly, registered voters would have to check for their names in the eligible and ineligible lists. The Mumbai University's election department provided a window from February 29 to March 4 for notifying any errors or seeking clarification in the newly published voting list. However, of the total 26,744 registrations, 13,350, which is almost 50 per cent of voter registrations, were declared ineligible.
On August 17, the state government, citing Section 8(7) of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, requested a review of the voter list and directed the university to postpone the elections. On the same day, BJP MLA Ashish Shelar raised concerns about the electoral roll and requested an investigation. In response, a three-member committee chaired by former Vice-Chancellor R S Mali was appointed to review the voter list.
The dispute eventually reached the Bombay High Court, which ordered Mumbai University to announce a revised election schedule by October 25. Meanwhile, a petition filed by advocate Sagar Devre alleged that the university's decision to delay the elections was politically influenced. While the university has maintained that its decisions were in line with government directives, the issue has drawn widespread criticism. Finally, the elections were scheduled for September 22, which got further deferred to September 24.
Mumbai University officials have so far declined to comment on the ongoing developments surrounding the elections.
With the university's Senate - comprising representatives of teachers, graduates, principals, and college management - dissolved in August 2022, a vacuum of decision-making authority remains. As a result, critical decisions have been left in the hands of the vice-chancellor.
For the Senate election 2024, 28 candidates were vying for 10 seats under the registered graduate category.
Speaking with mid-day on the condition of anonymity, one of the candidates said, "All these petitions and postponements are nothing but a ploy by the current government. They fear the Opposition will win all the seats. Earlier, a senior BJP leader objected, and the elections were postponed. The matter even reached the high court, but things didn't go in their favour. This time, they've had others disrupt the process, further delaying the elections. Now, even the Supreme Court has refused to stay or postpone them. They call the election process politically motivated⦠but isn't their effort to seek a stay politically motivated as well?"
Voting Sept 24 (9 am-5 pm)
Counting Sept 27
