Kasaragod: College elections excite the students as well as the townspeople. A charged atmosphere is palpable on the campus of LBS College of Engineering, Kasaragod, which goes to polls on Monday, October 22.
The elections were originally intended to be held on Wednesday, the October 17, but after the day was declared an additional holiday on account of Navarathri, they were postponed to October 22.
Elections are conducted class-wise, with eligible candidates opting to represent their parties. LBS students' union is now in the hands of the Students Federation of India (SFI) after they won the union last year by a considerable margin. The opposition comprises the United Democratic Students Front (UDSF) which is a coalition of Muslim Students Federation (MSF) and Kerala Students Union (KSU).
The campus was abuzz with poll activity a week before the elections. Students gathered in little groups at every nook and corner of the college, planning and plotting to gather as many votes as they can. All students essentially fall into one of the three categories – SFI, UDSF or Neutrals. It’s the freshers and the neutral students, who are mostly targeted by party members, insistently requesting their vote.
Campaigning began right at the start of the academic year, with each party announcing their list of cultural events, luring the students to vote for them in promise of more. AAWAZ, held by UDSF was a huge hit last year. The programme held by SFI wasn’t any less, since BEATZ held by them was equally successful, where the presence of young actor Unni Mukundan stole the show. After the lack of cultural programmes for years, these parties have bought back vibrant entertainment back into the otherwise dull lives of the engineering students.
What waits to be seen is who would eventually form the college union this year. SFI patrons are hopeful that their current pattern will stay, while a large number of people are looking towards UDSF after a small commotion in the girls; hostel cost SFI some valuable trust. Any other party securing the union is out of the question.
Would the union finally be handed-over to UDSF? Or would SFI once again emerge victorious? Only the ballot box knows.
