The NAB Audi, on the evening of April 1st 2018, played host to the informational seminar which was hosted by the Election Commission (EC). The candidates standing for the posts of President and General Secretary of the Students’ Union (SU) were given fifteen minutes each in which they were expected to present their manifestos and give reason to the members of the GBM to vote in their respective favours. However, this major purpose of the seminar was defeated as the audience was almost entirely comprised of members of a candidate’s camp with very few general BITSians attending. Each camp was then allowed to pose three questions (which were submitted in advance) to their opponent in a cross-questioning session which took place later. The EC warned the audience against misbehaviour of any kind saying that such actions may affect their candidate’s prospects, and the entire session saw the audience maintain basic decorum.
Akash Singh was the first of two candidates for the post of President of the SU to take the stage. Having been a Mess Representative for two terms, he felt he had gained “distinguished” experience while at it. He spoke of how previous SUs had deviated from a student centric approach to one that concentrated primarily on fests. Calling himself a “man of his word”, a term that would later be examined in the Audi debate, he spent time talking about each of his manifesto points. The brief speech, which combined several classic political dialogues with physical gestures of intent and emphasis, ended with him quoting Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech in the context of BITS living up to its potential.
Satyansh Rai, the second candidate for the post of President of the SU spent his first few minutes praising the intellect of BITSians and their innovative approaches and said that he would be able to bring students to perform to their potentials through the position of the President. As a Hostel Representative for two years and a member of the SU he felt he had gained enough experience to become its president. He promised to increase transparency and lead by example, making the SU a more “empowered” body. Satyansh Rai’s camp was noticeably more active, applauding at every point of his manifesto as he presented it. He concluded by discussing his credibility, of which he asked the GBM to judge from him supposedly being able implement eight out of ten manifesto points even before the elections. Readers are advised to take that statement at face value until they read the article on the Audi debate.
The sole candidate for the post of General Secretary, Jayanth Singh Rathore was the last speaker on stage. He began by explaining the role of impact, influence and inspiration on leadership, and felt he had developed these three qualities during his two years at BITS, and from his role as the Joint Coord. of the Hindi Press Club during APOGEE 2018. His manifesto was presented in a straightforward manner after which he released his vision – “That one should not only speak about the problems on campus, but work hand in hand to get them resolved in the best means possible”.
The cross-questioning session that followed saw each candidate being given three minutes to answer each of three questions posed by the EC. Their responses, whether relevant to the asked question or not, elicited thunderous applause from their respective camps. The EC then informed the candidates and the GBM of the auditorium debate due to take place on the Fourth of April and ended the session.