Mumbai University senate elections face hurdles amid voter registration issues

Drastic decline in voter numbers has now delayed MU Senate elections. Representation Pic

Mumbai University's long-delayed Senate elections face fresh setbacks. Controversies over voter registration - including duplication, fraud, and legal disputes - led to last year's voter list being annulled. The new list shows a sharp decline in registered voters. In March 2023, 1,22,000 graduates logged in to register for the Senate election process. However, after scrutiny, only 90,000 voters were finalised. After a new registration process, the number fell to 27,000, with just 13,406 confirmed as of Wednesday.

Santosh Gangurde, student activist and state chief organiser of Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena criticised the administration, saying, "This is pathetic; the university administration is trampling on the democratic rights of registered graduates. In the last three Senate elections, voter registration was 62,000 in 2018, 46,000 in 2010, and approximately 32,000 in 2005. Now, in July 2024, with only 13,406 voter registrations, the formation of part of the Senate of Mumbai University will depend on just 13,000 graduates. It is proven that Mumbai University is 30 years behind, and the university administration has brought an end to democracy, causing Rajabai Tower to bow its head in shame."

The drastic decline in voter registrations has raised serious concerns about the university's administrative processes and transparency, with many calling for reforms to restore faith in the democratic processes within the institution. A faculty member of MU said, "There is something wrong. The number of voters cannot drop like this. This is a huge decline. Investigating this would mean another five to six months delay."

The matter

For the graduate constituency, voter registration for 10 seats ran from October 30 to November 30, 2023. Verification of applications began on December 1, 2023, and continued until February 25, 2024. MU released the final voters' list on February 26. Candidate applications were set for March 11, with the voting process scheduled for April 21 and counting on April 24. However, on February 28, MU issued a circular updating the schedule. Registered voters must now check the eligible and ineligible lists, with a window from February 29 to March 4 for correcting errors or seeking clarification.

What happened

The university announced Senate elections for 10 graduate constituency seats, with August 18 last year as the nomination deadline. The state government requested a re-examination of the voters' list and directed MU to postpone the elections under Section 8 (7) of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act. On the same day, BJP MLA Ashish Shelar raised concerns over the electoral roll in a letter to Higher Education Minister Chandrakant Patil. On August 17, 2023, the government asked the university to investigate Shelar's complaint and delay the election. A three-member committee led by R.S. Mali was formed.

The Bombay High Court then instructed MU to announce a revised schedule by October 25. The Higher and Technical Education Department filed an affidavit in response to a petition by advocate Sagar Devre, who claimed the university's postponement decision was politically influenced. Devre sought annulment of the university's August 17 circular that deferred the elections set for September 10.

Devre moved the higher court again alleging contempt, and the next hearing for the case is now scheduled for November 28. Mumbai University has maintained that the decision to defer elections was based on state government instructions. The Senate, comprising representatives from teachers, principals, graduates, and college management, acts as the university's oversight body and approves the budget. With no functioning Senate since August 2022, due to the end of its term, significant decision-making power has shifted to the vice-chancellor. The matter remains pending with the Election Commission, which deferred elections due to the code of conduct until after the general elections.

"The ongoing issues surrounding the senate elections and the significant decline in voter registrations have highlighted the need for increased transparency and accountability within Mumbai University's administration," Gangurde said.

13,406
No of voters as of Wednesday