For the first time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gained representation in the Kerala University Syndicate in a protest-marred election on Monday that necessitated the intervention of the Kerala High Court.
In the election to 12 seats among senate members, Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]-backed candidates won nine seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party secured two, and the Congress one.
The victors among the Left in various constituencies include Prakash K.C. (aided college Principal), Rahim K. (government college professor), Pramod N., T.R. Manoj (both aided college teachers), R.B. Rajeev Kumar (general constituency), and Ajay D.N. (general constituency).
The BJP’s representatives in the Syndicate are Vinod Kumar T.G. Nair and P.S. Gopakumar (both representing the general constituency), while Ahmed Fazil of the Congress won from the general constituency.
Three Left-backed members - S. Nazeeb (university faculty), Manoj V. (government college Principal), and M. Lenin Lal (Scheduled Caste category) - were elected unopposed.
Earlier, the election faced turmoil when Kerala University Vice-Chancellor in-charge Mohanan Kunnummal announced that the 97 votes polled in the morning would not be counted until the High Court resolved the litigation regarding the appointments and tenures of 15 senate members. Higher Education Minister R. Bindu was among those who cast their votes.
The Vice-Chancellor’s decision led to outrage from the Left, leading to the official being gheraoed at his office by a section of senate members as well as activists of Left-backed service organisations.
A group of Students Federation of India (SFI) members breached the Kerala University Senate House campus, despite considerable police presence, and threatened to lay siege to the main building. The protesters were accused of vandalising Prof. Kunnummal’s official car by deflating a tyre.
As the situation threatened to spiral out of control, the High Court permitted the counting of votes, except those cast by the 15 senate members, which will be kept in sealed covers until further orders. As a result, the university counted the remaining 82 votes to determine the winners in various constituencies.
The Left Democratic Front accused the Congress and the BJP of colluding to ensure the victory of their candidates.
