Losing candidate Suresh Jain alleges that the winning panel and the UoP officials changed ballot votes
Losing candidate Suresh Jain alleges that the winning panel and the UoP officials changed ballot votesu00a0
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IS it a case of sour grapes or were the University of Pune (UoP) senate elections really rigged? Only time will tell. A candidate who contested independently for a seat under the graduates' constituency at the recently held UoP's senate's elections has alleged that the elections were rigged.
The candidate Suresh Jain, general secretary of the Students Welfare Association of Pune, has alleged that though he has written proof that over a 1,000 students voted for him, the varsity told him only 401 votes were cast.
"On the day of voting, there were almost 600 to 700 students at the main University campus. They personally told me they had voted for me. Besides, I received confirmations from other voting spots that I had over a thousand supporters. But the day the votes were counted, only 401 chits came out of ballot boxes. This means there was foul play and I suspect the winning panel," said Jain. Of the 10 seats, two candidates belong to the Vidyapeeth Vikas Manch Panel while eight candidates from the Ekta Panel, that swept the elections even in the teachers constituency, have got elected.
Jain said that as soon as the results were declared he registered his protest with UoP's registrar, who is in charge of the elections.
He and his supporters are now drafting an affidavit to submit in the court with signatures of a thousand students who have attested that they voted for him. He will demand action against the UoP officials.u00a0
