Vote for me, Ihave already told my mom Ihave won' — this was one of the many posters that were plastered around the St Joseph's College of Commerce (SJCC). It's election time on campus and the students of SJCC were in their elements, ensuring that they left no stone unturned to secure their votes.
From distributing colourful wigs to beating of drums, the candidates who were standing for election wanted to make sure that their fellow voters had a ball before they set out to cast their precious votes.
There were many positions to be filled, including that of student body president, vice president, treasurer, general secretary and ladies' secretary. And like in any democratic set-up, here too any number of students were allowed to stand for election, as long as they fulfilled certain criteria.
Says Sneha Rai, the student body governor, "All those interested can stand for elections but they need to have scored at least 60 per cent in all their subjects, have no backlog and maintain a good record in college. The student body should ensure smooth functioning and work as a bridge between the students and the administration."
The students had only a week to file their nominations and come up with innovative campaigning strategies before the final voting day. Rahul Nixon, a third-year student who was standing for the post of president, says that over the years, he has found the elections to be a great way to break the ice with students. Having won the post of vice president last year, he's campaigning for that of president this time around. "My main aim as president is to remind students that college life is about fun and studies. I want them to enjoy these years because they will never get it back," says Rahul, who gave away curly wigs as a symbol to recognise him. "I have curly hair so I thought it would be fun to campaign with those wigs," he adds. With a large majority of boys in the college, Apeksha, a third-year student, was vying for the post of ladies' secretary. "I want to be the voice for the women in the college. There are many issues like less locker space, need for better toilets and more entertainment on campus. If I win, I will address these issues," she says.
And as the respective candidates got ready for their final speech before the voting, Natasha George, a second-year student, standing for the post of vice president, says that election time also allows one to experience democracy in all its glory. "The college actually brings in the electronic voting machines and gives everyone an equal chance to cast their vote. Whether I win or lose, what matters to me the most is that I learnt a lot from this and had fun along the way," she wraps up.
From distributing colourful wigs to beating of drums, the candidates who were standing for election wanted to make sure that their fellow voters had a ball before they set out to cast their precious votes.
There were many positions to be filled, including that of student body president, vice president, treasurer, general secretary and ladies' secretary. And like in any democratic set-up, here too any number of students were allowed to stand for election, as long as they fulfilled certain criteria.
Says Sneha Rai, the student body governor, "All those interested can stand for elections but they need to have scored at least 60 per cent in all their subjects, have no backlog and maintain a good record in college. The student body should ensure smooth functioning and work as a bridge between the students and the administration."
The students had only a week to file their nominations and come up with innovative campaigning strategies before the final voting day. Rahul Nixon, a third-year student who was standing for the post of president, says that over the years, he has found the elections to be a great way to break the ice with students. Having won the post of vice president last year, he's campaigning for that of president this time around. "My main aim as president is to remind students that college life is about fun and studies. I want them to enjoy these years because they will never get it back," says Rahul, who gave away curly wigs as a symbol to recognise him. "I have curly hair so I thought it would be fun to campaign with those wigs," he adds. With a large majority of boys in the college, Apeksha, a third-year student, was vying for the post of ladies' secretary. "I want to be the voice for the women in the college. There are many issues like less locker space, need for better toilets and more entertainment on campus. If I win, I will address these issues," she says.
And as the respective candidates got ready for their final speech before the voting, Natasha George, a second-year student, standing for the post of vice president, says that election time also allows one to experience democracy in all its glory. "The college actually brings in the electronic voting machines and gives everyone an equal chance to cast their vote. Whether I win or lose, what matters to me the most is that I learnt a lot from this and had fun along the way," she wraps up.