Amidst screaming reports about setbacks on different fronts, the Kerala CPI(M) has found a reason to cheer with the Students Federation of India (SFI) romping home in the Calicut University students union elections.
The student body, which has been in the forefront of several State-level campaigns against commercialisation of education and against the current Calicut University authorities’ attempts to give away land and courses at will, has done the CPI(M) proud by winning all but one seat in the students union. The victory is sweeter as the organisation is getting ready for its 37 State conference.
The SFI candidates won all general seats and four of the five places in the executive committee, representing the districts of Wayanad, Kozhikode, Thrissur and Palakkad. The Muslim Students Federation (MSF) could win only the executive committee membership from Malappuram district. M. Saneesh of Zamorin’s Guruvayurappan College, Kozhikode, was elected chairman of the union. Anson C. Joy of Kerala Varma College, Thrissur, was elected vice-chairman. P. Anoop of Sree Krishna College, Guruvayur, was elected secretary, and P. Athira of N.S.S. College, Manjeri, was elected woman vice-chairperson. V. Lakshmi of Mar Thoma College, Chungathara, was elected joint secretary.
The SFI leadership has described the victory as a mandate against the ‘misdeeds’ of the nominated Syndicate. SFI district secretary P.K. Mubashir demanded that the nominated Syndicate be disbanded in the light of the overwhelming victory of the SFI.
