The Punjab University (PU) student union election has evolved beyond a mere contest for votes and dominance. Allegations of threatening calls, pressure on students, and interference by political parties have given the electoral battle a new political dimension.
ASAP accused ABVP of having gangsters and outsiders make threatening calls to students and supporters. Countering this, ABVP dismissed the allegations as baseless and accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) itself of interfering in the student union election through its MLAs and other leaders. Speaking to the media, ABVP Punjab State Secretary Jaskaran Singh Bhullar and former PU Student Council President Gaurav Veer Sohal stated that these allegations regarding threatening calls were being fabricated to tarnish the organization’s reputation.
They claimed that AAP was mobilizing even MLAs and *sarpanchs* (village heads) for the student union election. They alleged that calls were being made to students by the children of university staff and officials, with the blame for these activities subsequently being shifted onto ABVP.
Earlier, AAP’s PU election in-charge and MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer had leveled serious allegations against ABVP. He claimed that threatening calls were allegedly being made to students, research scholars, professors, and ASAP supporters.
It was alleged that pressure was being exerted on certain students to vote for a specific organization. ASAP had also demanded an immediate investigation into these alleged calls and called for ensuring a fear-free electoral atmosphere on campus.
ABVP claims ASAP is sending abusive messages
Raising the issue of alleged threats, ABVP accused ASAP of sending abusive and offensive messages to female students. Bhullar claimed that some students were receiving threats that their family members would be harmed if they supported ABVP. He remarked that such incidents raise questions about the fairness of the election and the campus atmosphere. MLAs and Ministers Should Stay Away from Student Politics
Bhullar accused Punjab’s MLAs and ministers of forcibly interfering in student politics. He stated that Panjab University students are capable of electing their own representatives and that external political interference would not be tolerated. He appealed to political parties to allow student union elections to remain an affair strictly among the students.
