Truant pupils a major challenge for vote seekers

SAMASTIPUR: The premises of 43 constituent colleges under LN Mithila University in Darbhanga, Samastipur, Madhubani and Begusarai are abuzz with activities ahead of the students’ union election scheduled to be held on February 25.
Though the candidates are making desperate efforts to woo the voters, they are also facing the problem of motivating students to vote, as most of them hardly attend their classes, if held at all, and come to their colleges only at the time of admission or examination.
A postgraduate student Rangat Kumar of Samastipur College, who is also contesting the election said, “About 6,528 voters including 1,990 girls are yet to be contacted as they don’t come to college on regular basis."
Rangat added that he and several other candidates are striving hard to contact them on their mobile numbers. Several other candidates contesting the election from Samastipur College, Samastipur, Women's College, BRB College and RNAR College, said they could not contact many voters as they do not attend their classes.
The candidates also said that acute shortage of teaching staff has forced the students to stop coming to the colleges. The students also claimed that even the laboratories and libraries are in ruins.
Incidentally, most of the candidates have made ‘educational anarchy’ the primary agenda of their manifesto. However, they are not finding it easy to campaign because classes have been suspended for the ongoing matriculation examination.
On the other hand, some teachers who believe that students’ union election would help to tone up the academic milieu, have come forward to appeal to the students to vote in their interest and form unions.
Samastipur College Teachers’ Union secretary Prabhat Kumar on Wednesday said that students’ union election would help to improve the educational environment of the colleges .
Sources said that the candidates are urging the teachers to bring their students to the polling booths and many have agreed to do so in the given situation.