Procedural Irregularities Cast Shadow over UoH Student Union Elections

Hyderabad: Saturday’s students’ union elections at University of Hyderabad (UoH) have raised concerns over alleged procedural violations, despite the official declaration of Umesh Ambedkar of DSU as the new president.

Dhruv Kumar, a student from M.A. Communication, found fault with the manner the election process was handled.

“Invalid votes were included in the count and results were announced without securing the signatures of all the counting agents, which goes against the rules of the Lyngdoh Committee. There should have been recounting as the winning margin was less than one per cent. Even this was ignored,” he said.

In response, Prof. Srinivas, dean of students’ welfare, told Deccan Chronicle that the university had officially declared the president-elect. Grievances would be addressed by the independent election commission, and neither the vice-chancellor nor the registrar had any role. “The election committee will review the matter and recommend further action on Monday,” he said.

Ambedkar won by a narrow margin of 18 votes. Though the ASA-BSF-DSU-SFI alliance clinched major positions, their victory has been clouded by grievances about procedural lapses. The result for the president’s post has been under question, with some students calling for a recount.

Additionally, accusations have been raised over the election commission’s decision to bypass the grievance committee in addressing the issue of invalid votes, leading to claims of violation of Lyngdoh committee guidelines and disregarding Supreme Court recommendations.

The counting process, which extended late into Saturday night, was completed without the signatures of three counting agents, a fact that has fuelled demands for greater transparency and accountability.