5 days ago
Chandigarh: Vice-President's exit deepens PU's senate poll uncertainty
Already hanging fire for eight months, the Panjab University (PU) senate elections are set to be delayed further following the abrupt resignation of Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar, who also served as the university's chancellor. The term of the PU senate, the university's apex decision-making body, ended on October 31, 2024. Since then, the university has been functioning without the elected body (HT File)
The term of the PU senate, the university's apex decision-making body, ended on October 31, 2024. Since then, the university has been functioning without the elected body, with key powers temporarily delegated to the vice-chancellor and other officials.
As per university rules, elections can be held only after final approval from the chancellor.
However, despite preparing and submitting a tentative election schedule to the chancellor's office on at least four occasions over the past eight months, no approval was granted, officials confirmed.
A senior varsity official said with Dhankhar's resignation, the posts of Vice-President and university chancellor had fallen vacant and will lead to further delay.
'The condition that the senate election schedule must be approved by the chancellor before it is announced still stands. Therefore, we will have to wait for the new Vice-President to be elected,' the official said.
Former senator IS Sidhu, who was among the senators protesting over the election delay, said they will wait for the new Vice-President's appointment before pushing for a resolution.
'On October 31, it will be a year since PU has been functioning without a senate. So, we are hopeful that elections can be declared before that,' he said. If the new Vice-President also fails to give the nod, he said, protests could take place again.
Key moments in the fight for elections
May 2024: The issue regarding the senate elections' schedule is first raised by senators. While the term of the senate was to end on October 31, 2024, at least 90 days' notice had to be given before declaring elections.
October 22, 2024: With no election schedule in sight, senators staged the first protest, which further sparked a broader protest movement.
October 27: Under the banner of 'Senate Bachao Morcha', protesters met Punjab speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari.
November 4: AAP's MP from Anandpur Sahib and former campus council president Malvinder Singh Kang joins the protest, the first prominent leader to lend support.
Chandigarh: Vice-President's exit deepens PU's senate poll uncertainty
November 7: Senior Punjab politicians Partap Singh Bajwa from the Congress and Daljit Singh Cheema from the SAD visit the protest site, criticise the Punjab government for the delay.
November 13: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann attends a PU event. Protesting students attempt to gherao the venue, leading to an FIR.
December 3: MP Manish Tewari raises the issue in Lok Sabha. On December 6, Congress MPs from Punjab stage a protest at the Parliament.
December 21: Then Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar visits PU for the Global Alumni Meet. Students burn his effigy in protest.
December 23: Contrasting voices, including those backing Punjab's claim over PU, alienate students from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, fracturing the movement.
April 17, 2025: In response to a question by Tewari in the Lok Sabha, Centre clarifies the elections must be conducted by PU and its chancellor (the Vice-President), not the Union government.
PU finds workaround in senate's absence
Despite the senate being the apex decision-making body of Panjab University, the institution has continued to function by working around its absence.
In the past several months, the university has moved ahead with key policy decisions, including granting menstrual leave to female students and proposing OBC reservation in faculty recruitment, in anticipation of approval from the senate in future.
PU has also been without an elected syndicate and deans. In its last meeting held on February 10, 2024, the outgoing senate had conferred the powers of the syndicate on the vice-chancellor and delegated the responsibilities of elected deans to the dean of university instruction (DUI), allowing university operations to continue without a hitch.
Officials remember Dhankhar for his work in PU
Meanwhile, university officials recalled Dhankhar's involvement with PU fondly. He attended the varsity's convocations in 2023 and 2024, as well as Global Alumni Meets held in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
His first visit to the campus was during the Global Alumni Meet in November 2022, which also marked his maiden visit to Chandigarh.
Vice-Chancellor Renu Vig, who earned Dhankhar's repeated praise for being PU's first woman V-C, said it was through his personal intervention that the university secured a ₹281-crore grant from the central government. A large portion of this was used to pay the ₹175-crore pending arrears following implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission from January 1, 2016.
PU registrar YP Verma added that Dhankhar took a personal interest in the university's alumni activities. At every Global Alumni Meet, he would express disappointment in the underwhelming contribution of PU's vast and influential alumni network.
A former senator said unlike previous Vice-Presidents, Dhankhar engaged consistently with PU, and his regular visits boosted donations significantly.
