From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Sep 28: Goa University (GU) has rolled back its earlier order of declaring the  student’s council election null and void after Bharatiya Janata party’s students’ cell protested for almost four hours before the registrar’s office.

“The entire election process and order declaring the election null and void will be kept before the university’s executive council. In the meantime, we have kept the order nullifying elections in abeyance,” GU Registrar M M Sangodkar said.

The statement came after a half day-long protests by BJP’s students’ cell opposing the order and a hunger strike by youth congress’ student’s cell demanding action against Director of Student’s Welfare Balkrishna Kandolkar for aligning with the BJP.

Congress student leader Sunil Sukhtankar, who went on fast on Friday, fell sick and had to be shifted to the Goa Medical College here this afternoon.

The controversies began after BJP panel was declared elected in the election process held on September 25. The congress candidates, who had put up their panel, had protested the decision alleging that entire process was sabotaged by Kandolkar.
“We were not allowed to fill the forms and Kandolkar went out of way to ensure that BJP panel gets through,” Amir Jamatar, a student’s leader, told reporters at the hunger strike venue here.

He said that Kandolkar was acting like `BJP’s agent’ in the entire election process.

The congress students’ leaders, who had questioned the entire election process achieved a partial victory on Friday when university officials declared the process null and void.

This sparked angry reaction from BJP students who today held demonstrations and gheraoed GU registrar M M Sangodkar.

After intense sloganeering and arguments, which went for almost four hours, Sangodkar declared that yesterday’s order would be kept in abeyance and executive council would take the appropriate decision.

“This means, BJP’s council stands elected,” BJP leader and leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar told reporters.

Briefing mediapersons at BJP headquarters here, after the demonstrations were over, Parrikar alleged that Congress leaders were politising the students’ election.

“We had to enter in the students’ politics as congress through National Students Union of India (NSUI) has been playing dirty politics,” Parrikar said.

The former chief minister said that although the party may not directly interfere with the university election issue, the students’ leader party’s full backing.