Mumbai: Barely two days before the much-anticipated senate elections, the University of Mumbai (MU) has announced a further indefinite postponement of the polls, citing a directive from the state government.
While officials did not provide a specific reason for this directive, the university attributed the delay to a state-initiated investigation regarding reportedly low enrollment in the voter list.
On Friday, the Bombay High Court issued notices to the state following a plea alleging irregularities in the electoral process and questioning the shrinking of the electoral rolls.
About The Senate Elections
The senate elections, which have been pending for two years, are for ten seats representing the university’s registered graduates. They have been clouded by allegations of discrepancies and state interference. Originally scheduled for September 13, 2023, the elections were suspended after the government requested an inquiry into claims of duplicated entries on the electoral rolls. Opposition student leaders view these interventions as a tactic by the ruling alliance to avoid potential losses in the upcoming state assembly elections.
Postponement Announcement Made
On Friday evening, less than two days before voting was set to begin, MU announced the elections would be postponed “until further instructions” following a letter from the government under section 8(7) of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act 2016. This section allows the state government to intervene if a university fails to fulfill its obligations. When asked for clarification on the directive, Vikas Chandra Rastogi, principal secretary of the state’s higher and technical education department, declined to comment further, citing concerns about potential misquoting. However, he confirmed the letter was issued after the government received a representation on the matter.
MU registrar Prasad Karande referred to a government resolution issued Thursday that announced the formation of a single-member committee to investigate the “extremely low” voter enrollment for the senate elections. The inquiry was prompted by a request from former students at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and the Institute of Chemical Technology.
Former Bombay HC Judge K.L. Wadane Appointed To Lead The Probe
The state has appointed former Bombay High Court judge K.L. Wadane to lead the probe, which will also assess the legality of including graduates from private universities and those residing in the area for a long time as members of the senate. Currently, only 13,406 graduates are eligible for the MU senate electoral rolls, the lowest number in four election cycles. This figure is a significant drop from the previous electoral roll of over 90,000, which was scrapped following allegations from BJP MLA Ashish Shelar and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. The electoral list is now only a fifth of the 62,000 voters registered in 2018, the last year elections were held.
The university has been operating without elected representatives of graduates since September 2022, when the term of the previous senate ended. Opposition leaders expressed disappointment over the university's decision.
Sagar Devre, who previously challenged the suspension of elections in court, stated, “The suspension of elections is akin to the death of democracy. This government will be remembered as a frightened government. The earlier suspension was also challenged in court, but the government seems unconcerned.”