Yash Sarda: No (tall) promises

The English Press Club interviewed Yash Sarda, one of the four candidates standing for the post of General Secretary. 

Currently in his third year of studying Civil Engineering, Yash said that he was born and brought up in Nepal but has lived in Delhi for the last seven years. He is the President of BITS Embryo and is also a Core Member of NSS, BITS Pilani. He mentioned that he also is the Co-Founder of an NGO of his own, where they raise funds to implement various campaigns about women empowerment, health, education, and environmental awareness. 

He explained his motivation behind standing for the post of the General Secretary with a story from his first elections on campus. This was the Mess Representative Elections, held during 2021–22, when a candidate had pitched Yash his vision, mission, and commitment. He explained that this conversation helped him understand the importance of communicating with the GBM about the issues they face, urging him to do something for the student body. When asked if he has worked with the SU previously in any capacity, he stated that he has not been involved prior to this. He quickly added that that does not imply that he cannot work for the GBM, highlighting that he had insights about the SU and aimed to make it more accessible to the GBM. He elaborated that the role of the General Secretary was more appealing to him than that of the President due to his interest in the working of various campus clubs and departments. 

Yash also highlighted that his prior experience with leadership roles has taught him about ‘managing people and analysing situations in order to solve problems efficiently’. He also said that this is a trait that he has used extensively while drafting his manifesto. He explained that he stands out from his competitors due to his ability to quickly understand various problems and his pursuit of finding solutions for the same. He said that he believed that he is different from other candidates because he aimed for a more approachable SU where the GBM feels free to discuss their problems and also ‘constructively criticise the SU’.

He mentioned that he did not want to make false promises and highlighted that the past SU had apparently made a lot of ‘tall promises’ in their manifesto, which were not fulfilled.

Yash said that he believed that the GBM should take a more active role in the election process. He also explained that the current SU had lost its respect in the eyes of the GBM due to multiple ‘power trips’ and some other incidents. He explained that his entire agenda is to make the SU more transparent than it is today.

When asked if he would want to bring some changes into the functioning of the SU if elected, Yash explained that he would want to ensure that the entirety of the SU meets once a week. He added that the minutes of each of these meetings would be put up on the SU App and highlighted that he was ‘open to criticism and feedback’. While explaining what students must keep in mind before choosing the General Secretary they want, Yash said that he believed that background checks into candidates are important before choosing who to cast one’s vote for. He also stated that he encouraged checking for who would be most approachable and would be able to take criticism best as a General Secretary, because he believed that the ‘current SU were neither approachable nor were they open for criticism and feedback.’ 

To conclude, Yash explained that BITS is known for its legacy, which is why all voters should work together to elect someone ‘unbiased and vocal with his thoughts, while being approachable and open to criticism’.

Naman Jalan: Not your “wing”man

The English Press Club interviewed Naman Jalan, one of the four candidates contesting for the post for General Secretary.

Naman explained that his non-political family background made him expect that an institution like BITS Pilani—which is known for its academic excellence and technical rigour—would not have a lot of ‘politics’. This is why he said that he aimed to create an SU that is student-centric and not politics-oriented. When asked why he stood for the post of the General Secretary and not the President, he mentioned that the previous SU was something he had found unapproachable until he met the previous President and General Secretary, namely, Harsh Shukla and Harsh Lamba respectively. With further conversations, he said that he realised his interest in making campus a better place for students and in student welfare in general. He added that he preferred the role of the General Secretary over the President both because he wanted to focus on his academics and because he had worked with the previous General Secretary, Harsh Lamba the most. He also stated that he enjoyed inventory work, which falls under the purview of the General Secretary.

Sharing his thoughts on the competition that he would be facing, he explained that all the three candidates who were standing were his ‘best friends’ and yet, he viewed them all as competition. Naman explained that he wanted to see the SU as a more open organisation, and said that he ‘wanted to see the entire GBM as the ExComm [sic]’. He said that he envisioned an Executive Committee that did not centralise the power to take initiatives, but instead let everyone take initiatives. When asked what differentiated him from the other candidates, Naman explained that that would be his attitude towards juniors and seniors alike. He said that he did not intend to go on a ‘power trip’ and wanted to be ‘as humble as he is today’. He elaborated that he would want an SU which is ‘by the students, for the students’ and not an SU which is ‘by the students, for a wing’.

When questioned about whether his experience with working for the students helped him shape his campaign, he said that he got to know students and their problems better through working on some initiatives. He said that he envisioned to change the SU into just how he wanted the SU to be when he was just a member of the GBM. He explained that five years down the line, when he visits the campus as an alumnus of the institution, he aims to see a better SU than the previous two sets of office-bearers, because ‘the SU in the past two years have not worked and have lost their courage and strength’. He emphasised that his main focus was to turn the SU into a transparent organisation. 

Naman found the recently conducted Constitution Review to be commendable and explained that a central point of his campaign was transparency, which was in line with the revised Constitution’s Right to Inquiry. He added that he would ensure that this would be a point that he would implement unquestioningly if he is elected the General Secretary. He further explained that the EC, CRC, and SU form a ‘cycle’ of their own and that this Constitution helps fill up certain gaps and loopholes that existed in this cycle.

When asked what he thought he could do differently from the outgoing office-bearers of the SU, Naman reiterated that he is against ‘wing politics’. He said that candidates for President and General Secretary are often linked with the idea that ‘if this person is made the President, then that person will be made the General Secretary’ (translated from Hindi), which is something he said that he is against because he said that he firmly believed that these positions should be kept independent.

When asked what according to him makes the ideal General Secretary, Naman explained that the ideal General Secretary should be approachable and should be work-oriented rather than solely focused on politics. To conclude, he implored the members of the GBM to be unbiased and not blindly vote for any candidate. He stressed that reading each candidate’s manifesto is a right that the GBM has and that everyone has one vote. 

Vinayak S: A clubless affair

The English Press Club interviewed Vinayak S, one of the four candidates contesting for the post of General Secretary. 

Hailing from Kochi, Kerala, Vinayak is not part of any clubs or departments on campus. However, he explained that he is very interested in sports and is also a very extroverted person, who liked striking up conversations with people from different places.

Vinayak explained that he was motivated to stand for the post of the General Secretary because of his work as a member of the SU Executive Committee, along with the Anti-Ragging Committee. He said that his work with the SU enabled him to understand the work of the President and the General Secretary in greater detail. He explained that the General Secretary handles more internal affairs and club affairs, which is what he finds himself more capable of doing.

When asked about his thoughts on the competition he would be facing for the role, he explained that he was in no position to comment, given that the official list was not out yet. (Clarification: The interview was conducted by the EPC just before the release of the official list.) He added that while he did not intend to make claims of being better than other candidates. He was ready to ‘lay out all his cards on the table’, so that the GBM could make an informed decision for their General Secretary. He elaborated that he believes that his experience in the Executive Committee, and of interacting with multiple committees on campus gives him a slight edge over other candidates. When asked if he viewed his term as a member of the Executive Committee as advantageous or not, he explained that he has experienced the SU ‘hierarchy’ from the most basic level, which gives him a deep insight into the functioning of the SU. 

He then proceeded to explain how he gathered his camp for campaigning. He stated that he first talked to various people, and proceeded to ask them to join his camp if their vision and thought process aligned to his. 

Vinayak explained that he did not like the general perception of the SU that existed currently, as an organisation that is a ‘higher authority’ over other students. He highlighted that the SU is an organisation that works with the students. He therefore explained that he wanted to create an ‘interactive’ SU, which is ‘spontaneous’ in how they respond and is one where students can themselves contribute to the workings and the initiatives taken.

When asked for his thoughts on the ongoing Constitution Review process by the EC, Vinayak said that he personally was not involved in the same and did not know whether the outgoing SU did either. He clarified that while he acknowledges that the Constitution could never be perfect, he was (at the time of the interview) unaware of the changes to be made by the EC. 

Vinayak explained that he had learnt a lot from the previous office-bearers and has immense respect for their work ethic. He added that given that he is a different person, his vision, mission, and ideologies would be different from theirs, which is why the idea of “doing better” than them was not a valid approach according to him. 

Vinayak explained that the role of the General Secretary is very ‘work-intensive’. Keeping this in mind, the most important questions to ask any candidate would be what they have done to deserve the post of the General Secretary and where they have demonstrated their work ethic in any way, shape, or form.

Vinayak urged the average voter to take these elections seriously and to ask questions, instead of casting votes on the basis of personal relationships.

Kamal Chauhan: The apolitical politician

The English Press Club interviewed Kamal Chauhan, a candidate contesting for the post of General Secretary. Kamal is a third-year student pursuing an MSc in Chemistry and a BE in Electronics and Communication engineering. Besides being an avid film watcher, he is also interested in reading and writing. While mentioning that he does not come from a political background, Kamal also admits that he has always been a ‘shy and introverted kid’ who started connecting with people after coming to BITS. He said that he started participating in various club activities, and became a part of some of SU’s initiatives albeit as an unofficial member.

When asked about his motivation to file his candidature, Kamal said that he was motivated by trying his best to deliver ‘quality work’ in his efforts in the SU and ‘fulfilling his responsibilities’. He mentions his biggest source of inspiration to be ‘a good representative of the people in BITS’. Kamal says it is his belief that wings are the closest associations on campus and believes that creative solutions through mutual coordination of student wings, clubs, and tech teams is an important goal. When asked about what makes him a suitable candidate for this post, he admits that while ‘every candidate is a worthy opponent,’ he stresses that it is important for a candidate to be transparent with his supporters about his ambitions, which he claims to be. He also adds that he has spent considerable time researching and talking to people involved in the institution.

Talking about the insights and things that influenced his manifesto, he states that he has been studying manifestos for some time, including some of the other colleges as well. He also adds that the manifesto of IIT Kharagpur piqued his interest and goes on to draw several parallels between BITS and IIT Kharagpur, citing factors such as remote location, a thriving startup, and the famed extracurricular culture. It is his opinion that manifestos should not promise ‘superficial and idealistic goals’. He said, ‘After last semester’s experience, it is important that we focus on basic primary needs.’

Kamal believes this election is very different from the 2018 elections; the medium was online, and the candidates were unopposed, according to him. He stresses the importance of talking to people regardless of their political opinions, as it enables him to have a more diverse viewpoint and have a more inclusive manifesto.

Although hesitant at first, Kamal admits that the issue of fee hike is a difficult problem that pertains to all three campuses and not just Pilani. He stresses the importance of holding meaningful conversations with the authorities of all three campuses, which also involves the Senate.

However, he is confident in his stance that he would try his best to come up with logical and fair solutions for everyone.