Voting to elect four Senate members to the Bharathiar University Syndicate turned out to be hotly contested one as allegations of irregularities flew thick and fast. The University conducted the election on Wednesday to elect four persons – two from teachers’ constituency and a like number from the principals’ constituency .
Four contestants were in the fray from the teachers’ constituency and the same number from the principals’ constituency.
Sources said that in the last minute, on Wednesday morning, the officials conducting the election in the University had permitted principals in-charge of colleges to cast votes. This included principals in-charge from government-run and self-financed colleges.
This was vote by proxy, alleged P. Thirunavukkarasu, state president, Association of University Teachers.
The last minute inclusion of names had tilted the scales in favour of a group that attempted to rig the election right from day one, he alleged.
Sources said neither the government colleges nor the self-financed colleges had given the names of persons who would be voting when the University had sent out circular asking for names to be included in voters’ list.
That the proxy voting happened after the deadline to include names was a pointer to the fairness in conducting the election, the sources added.
Vice Chancellor P. Kaliraj said the persons, who the University had allowed to vote, had letters of authorisation from their authorities concerned – regional joint director in case of government or government-aided colleges and secretaries of management of self-financed colleges.
The University statute allowed principals in-charge to vote and by permitting them there was nothing illegal.
The University had followed the rules and the allegations or objections had no way impacted the election, he maintained.
