NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: In a breakthrough for Panjab University’s long-stalled governance process, Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan – in his capacity as the university’s chancellor – has approved the schedule for the senate elections, setting the stage for a full restoration of the institution’s decades-old democratic structure. The communication, issued by the VP’s Secretariat to PU vice-chancellor Renu Vig on Thursday, formally ends months of uncertainty and a student-led agitation.The mood on campus immediately shifted from tension to celebration, but PU Bachao Morcha said its protest was not yet over, and that further negotiations would take place on pending demands. VC Vig briefly stepped out to meet the protesters and urged them to call off the dharna.The elections for various constituencies of the91-member senate, the university’s top decision-making body, will be held between Sept 7 and Oct 4, 2026, with polling and result dates notified constituency-wise. The previous senate’s term ended in Oct 2024, but fresh elections had remained in limbo for more than a year.The development marks a positive turn after weeks of protests led by the PU Bachao Morcha, which had been pressing the administration to announce the poll schedule. Students had launched their agitation earlier this year in response to the Centre’s Oct 28 notification proposing sweeping changes to the composition and powers of the senate and syndicate. After meeting the students, the education ministry withdrew the notification on Nov 7, fully restoring the electoral system.The VP’s Secretariat communication confirmed the approval based on PU’s proposal submitted on Nov 9.The Morcha said the protest would continue until it received written assurance on three pending matters: quashing of FIRs against 14 students booked during a previous senate protest in 2024, rollback of recently introduced SOPs regulating elections and student activities, and scrapping of the committee formed to review demands raised by Haryana students regarding representation and possible college re-affiliation.
