Graduate Voter Apathy or Systemic Failure? PU's Polling Paradox
A deep and worrying contradiction is unfolding at Panjab University (PU). While the official list of graduate voters swells with each passing election, the number of people actually casting their ballots is in a sharp and steady decline. This trend exposes critical flaws in the management of the electorate for the University Senate's graduate constituency, even as the polls themselves remain in a state of suspended animation, awaiting a formal notification from the chancellor.
The Alarming Numbers: A Shrinking Voice
Data submitted by PU to the Ministry of Education paints a stark picture of democratic disengagement. In the 2012 graduate constituency election, a total of 74,520 votes were cast from a pool of 285,000 registered voters, resulting in a turnout of approximately 26%.
By 2016, the voter rolls had expanded to around 330,000. However, in a counter-intuitive twist, the number of votes plummeted to 62,281, dragging the turnout percentage down to 18%.
The most recent polls in 2021 revealed the most dramatic drop. Despite the registered graduate count climbing to about 368,000, a mere 52,706 individuals voted. This translates to a shockingly low turnout of roughly 14%, highlighting a system in crisis.
The Root of the Problem: An Archaic Electoral System
The core of this contradiction lies in the university's profoundly outdated method of handling its graduate constituency list. Once a graduate's name is added to the electoral roll, it remains there permanently. There is no annual deletion or revision process to account for individuals who may have moved abroad, relocated to other cities, or passed away.
Furthermore, the university has no mechanism for Aadhaar or email linkage to maintain updated contact information. In an era of instant digital communication, PU still relies on sending physical letters to the addresses on file to notify graduates about polling, most of which have changed over the years.
Former graduate constituency Fellow, Simran Dhillon, argues that the falling participation is not a sign of voter disinterest but a direct result of this communication breakdown. "The turnout in 2021 was affected by Covid uncertainty, but the bigger issue is that PU has no modern system to inform graduate voters. Most never receive any intimation because addresses change and the university still relies on physical letters instead of updated digital communication," he said. Dhillon added that thousands on the rolls no longer reside at the locations where PU dispatches its mail.
Financial Drain and Governance Crisis
This inefficiency carries significant financial and operational consequences. For the 2021 election, PU had to establish 273 polling booths across five states, deploying about seven personnel per booth. The total election expenditure across all constituencies was approximately Rs 3 crore, with officials confirming that the graduate constituency accounted for a major portion due to its vast geographical spread and high manpower needs—a cost that is becoming increasingly difficult to justify against the backdrop of a shrinking voter base.
The graduate constituency is responsible for electing a section of the PU Senate, which includes 15 members to the university's apex governing body. The Senate's term officially concluded on October 31, 2024, and no elections have been notified since. Although the Centre recently withdrew a move to alter the Senate's structure, reverting to the earlier composition, the elections cannot proceed without the chancellor's formal schedule notification.
With the troubling graduate turnout data now in the possession of the Ministry of Education, the focus intensifies on whether PU will undertake crucial reforms to repair its electoral roll before the next poll is conducted. Observers warn that the health of this graduate constituency is intrinsically linked to the health of PU's overall governance. If participation continues to fall while the voter rolls remain artificially inflated, the Senate risks becoming structurally disconnected from the very graduates it is supposed to represent.
