MSU dons Modi mask for poll

Aggressive campaigning marks the day

Devanshi Joshi. Vadodara/DNA
Saturday, August 30, 2008

On the last day for campaigning before Saturdays MS University student union elections, ABVP candidates went full-throttle on Friday with their final promotional strategies, which included donning a Modi Mask even as tight security arrangements have been made for the elections today.The campus was infused with pre-election fever yesterday. SMSes, social networking websites, door-to-door campaigning and all other methods were implemented by the contenders on the final day of election campaigning. As per the universitys code of conduct, campaigning was supposed to end at 11 am, however supporters continued past the specified time limit outside the campus as well.The candidates urged students to vote, especially female students, as the percentage of female voters in the university had been less in the past years. In last years elections, only 10,000 out of 35,000 students voted, which was under 29%. This year, candidates will provide commuting facilities to attract the maximum number of students, who will be picked up and dropped off as well. As per sources, gifts and other perks were also distributed. To strengthen security, police personnel and 120 guards will be present at the university.Vice Chancellor Ramesh Goyal said, “To conduct the elections peacefully, tight security arrangements have been made. Members of the election committee and vigilance committee will be present at different faculties round the clock to carry out the election properly. Security guards will be available at each faculty and over the entire campus. Students without ID cards and outsiders will not be allowed in the campus.”In all, 85 voting booths will be there with 250 voting boxes at different faculties of the university and its Padra unit. The commerce faculty have got 26 voting centres, the highest. Arts faculty has 9 centres, technology faculty has 11, science faculty has 10, while one booth each has been allotted to home science, journalism & communication, social work, sanskrit Maha Vidyalaya, medicine and performing arts faculties. Five booths will be placed at Faculty of Law and 3 at Padra unit.