To the Chancellor, Presidency University: We want General Election

From the inception of Presidency College Students' Union, the Union elections have adopted indirect democracy as the medium of expression of students' opinion. In this cumbrous election process, the general students of the college have never had a chance to elect their own G.Sec., V.P., A.G.Sec., and other portfolio members. Only the select constituency representatives have had the privilege. For the last four years, the general students of Presidency College, with the support of Independents' Consolidation, have demanded that General Election process should be adopted as the method union elections. Sadly, their demands have not been met.
The transformation of Presidency to a university has brought a different perspective to this demand.




Demanding the inception of General Election in Presidency, we present you with our justifications for this petition.

1. Allowing all 2000 plus students to elect their representatives instead of the privileged Constituency Representatives is more democratic than the current system.
2. Though it is true that the Indian Parliamentary Elections are held by the method of indirect democracy, in India, the electorate population is close to a billion, where as the student strength of Presidency is less than 2500. Also, a major section of the Indian population is illiterate and might not be able to make the best judgement, whereas in Presidency, illiteracy is not really an issue.
3. The reflection of true students opinion might be distorted in the CR elections, where a certain candidate might lose even though they are backed by the majority student spirit, and the portfolio holders are often not the ones with popular support.
4. Election among 2000 students will be really anonymous, whereas in a 'constituency' of 300 students, it is quite easy to determine who voted for whom. Thus the process of 'anonymous ballot' is really an eyewash in the present scenario.


Our Demands:
1. Every portfolio holder has to be elected to office through direct election by majority of the students.
2. CR elections to be held side-by-side with General Elections, to look after localised departmental and constituency related issues.
3. The posts of President and Treasurer of the students' union have to be appointed from among the students, and not filled de facto by the institutional head and the bursar respectively, as is the present case.

Revolutionary Greetings,
Independents' Consolidation, Presidency.

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In this movement of the general students, we need support from the student mass and the society. So, if you believe Presidencians should be free to elect their own representatives, sign this petition.