Governor’s office holds back YCMOU VC announcement

NAGPUR: The Chancellor’s office held back

announcement

of

Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University

vice chancellor’s name after holding interviews of five shortlisted candidate on Wednesday because of model code of conduct, sources said.

On February 21, TOI had reported that the three-member search committee appointed by the Chancellor (

Governor

of Maharashtra) for the post of

YCMOU

VC had held interviews of applicants during the model code of conduct (MCC) for elections.

Former chief justice of Bombay High Court Justice Mohit Shah led the panel which included director of National Institute of Technology (NIT), New Delhi, Ajay Kumar Sharma as chancellor’s nominee and principal secretary (Higher and Technical education) Sitaram Kunte as the member secretary.

The post of YCMOU VC has been lying vacant for the last six months after Manikrao Salunkhe tendered his resignation to Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao in August 2016. Dilip Mhaisekar, vice chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, was holding the additional charge.

The interviews of around 50 candidates were conducted on February 17, 18 and 19. Later, five candidates including Nagpur University Pro Vice Chancellor Pramod Yeole, head of NU political science department Mohan Kashikar, Indira Gandhi National Open University senior faculty E Vayunandan, former registrar of Jalgaon University Ashok Mahajan, and VM Vani of Nashik were shortlisted. Interviews of these five were held Wednesday at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.

Sources from YCMOU said Yeole, Kashikar and Vayunandan are favourites for the post.

Governor C Vidyasagar Rao’s office public relations officer Umesh Kashikar confirmed that interviews have conducted but refused divulge further details. He said he was on leave so he can’t say if the announcement were withheld due to MCC, that was lifted on Thursday evening.

He also didn’t clarify why TOI’s earlier queries on MCC violation were still not answered by him and the governor’s secretary.

From Nagpur, eight to 10 applicants were in the race for the top post. Besides Yeole and Kashikar, BCUD director DK Agrawal, PG teaching department of Mathematics’s KC Deshmukh, principal of Mahila Mahavidyalaya Mrunalini Fadnavis, Purushottam Thote, principal of Purushottam Thote College of Social Work, and principal of Kamala Nehru Mahavidyalaya Arvind Shinde had applied for the post.

The search panel had received over 70 applications. Of them, around 50 were invited for interviews. The committee had submitted its recommendations to the Chancellor’s office on Monday morning.


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