synopsis

It was claimed that the Students' Federation of India (SFI) tried to covertly elect a student leader to the position of university union councillor in place of the female who had won the college union election.

Thiruvananthapuram: An uproar over the selection of a representative other than the elected member from Christian College, Kattakada, prompted Kerala University to postpone its union elections.

It was claimed that the Students' Federation of India (SFI) tried to covertly elect a student leader to the position of university union councillor in place of the female who had won the college union election.

Also read: PM Modi to lay the foundation stone of redevelopment of Puri, Cuttack railway stations on May 18; see PHOTOS

After college union elections on December 12, two SFI members, Aromal and Anakha, won the two positions.

The college appointed A Visakh, who is also the head of the Student Federation of India's (SFI) local committee, as one of its two University Union Councillors (UUC) in place of elected member Anagha. A UUC may run for office, including that of a chairperson, and has voting rights in university union elections.

Visakh was reportedly pushed into the leadership of the university union by the SFI. According to local reports, Visakh was being made chairman of the Kerala University Union through college-level manipulation. It was alleged by sources that several CPM and SFI leaders were responsible for this manipulation.

The councillors elected from the colleges vote to choose the office bearers for the university union. On May 26, there will be an election for office-bearers in the university union. Visakh, who serves as the secretary of SFI's Kattakada area committee, did not contest in the college union elections.

According to college principal Dr. GJ Shaiju, Anagha resigned from her position as a result of the incident, and another student was named. 

Additionally, he mentioned that Christian College had abolished student politics as a result of student disputes. Consequently, a special committee was created to oversee the election. He said that the candidates in question received unanimous support.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan claimed that pressure from CPM leaders was a factor in the decision to sneak Visakh into the list.

Also read: Makers of 'The Kerala Story' announce initiative to rehabilitate victims of religious conversion