The Information Seminar for candidates contesting the Students’ Union (SU) Election 2022-23 was held on September 11, 2022, in the NAB Auditorium. The session began with the Chief Warden and Associate Dean of the Student Welfare Division (SWD) addressing the GBM, followed by a brief rundown of the election process and timeline by the Election Commission (EC).
The session involved candidates explaining their manifesto points followed by questions from other candidates and the GBM, under the supervision of the members of the EC.
General Secretary Candidates
The four candidates nominated for the post of General Secretary, namely Kamal Chauhan, Naman Jalan, Vinayak S, and Yash Sarda, approached the stage to introduce themselves to the GBM and set forth their election manifesto.
Kamal Chauhan presented his manifesto first. He promised to enhance the medical infrastructure by increasing the number of ambulances to ensure timely healthcare. He also wished to improve the academic environment of the college by increasing the number of maximum credits available for students in each semester, and collaborate with different organisations to conduct workshops on fields like Product Management and Venture Capitalism. Another undertaking in his manifesto included constituting a grievances portal which would assign one’s complaints to various authorities based on the severity of the issue. His manifesto also included setting up a Campus Maintenance Committee, forming a Women Leadership Cell comprising senior female SU members, and improving hostel facilities.
Naman Jalan, the second candidate, talked about his experience as a BITS student along with the life and culture of the institution before listing his manifesto points. He also proposed a Right to Information Act in the SU to make it a more transparent and fair organisation. He said that this would ensure transparency in tenders made during various fests and events. He also promised to revive the BITS ACADS application with updated content and initiate a cycling club, which would feature a QR-based e-bike hub where students could rent bicycles for a single ride or even semester-long subscriptions. Other promises included providing DG supply backup to hostel rooms and introducing Laundromat signings through the SU app.
The third candidate, Vinayak S initially talked about the importance of voting, elections, and the role of the administration in the current student climate. He then enumerated various points in his manifesto, starting with the formation of a Student Academic Congress. He also promised to introduce accountability reforms for the PS system focusing on overall transparency in the administrative structure. Another integral proposal included in his manifesto was removing accessibility restrictions in public areas, specifically the NAB region. Other points included insulation of plumbing and water tanks, improving Wifi facilities and removing network restrictions, and revamping Laundromat facilities, amongst others. He ended his speech by attributing his faith in the administrative system and the GBM as the reason for his candidature, although exceeding the time constraint allowed by the EC.
The fourth and final candidate to speak was Yash Sarda. He introduced himself with a few words about his tumultuous childhood in the political climate of Nepal. He said that he intended to use his fresh perspective and drive for change to introduce features on campus that the GBM wanted. He then explained the points in his manifesto. One of the changes he wished to implement was revamping washrooms in hostels. This included insulating water tanks to prevent hot water during the day, and creating a QR-based complaint system. Another focus of his was the conditions in Meera Bhawan. Some of the changes he promised were mosquito nets for windows, proper landscaping, and cemented pavements. He said another critical issue was the availability of sanitary pads, and that he planned to install dispensers and have them maintained. He also presented his solutions to other problems he recognised—like the hostel cloakroom system, the need for more AC rooms in the library, and the extension of eatery timings during weekends and exams.
Yash’s speech was followed by a question–and–answer session, first amongst the four candidates themselves, after which the floor was open for the audience to pose questions. The questions asked were regarding their manifesto points, and how feasible their implementation would be. Naman explained how the cycling club he planned to establish would prevent the theft of cycles, and how he would implement and maintain a workforce for the BITS ACADS app. Yash elaborated on the new cloakroom system by claiming that it would make the luggage retrieval easier, and justified the features he wanted to introduce in the SU app. Vinayak shared details on the revamped laundromat delivery system he planned to introduce, and plans to make the BITS Wifi system faster and more accessible. Kamal explained how increasing the maximum credits a student could take each semester would lead to greater academic flexibility for students. The candidates used the session to further explain their manifesto points and appease any concerns that the students might have regarding those.
President Candidates
Following that, the presidential candidates took the stage. Two students were contesting for the post of President—Ashirwad Karande and Yashwardhan Kiswani.
Ashirwad was the first to deliver his speech. He said that his journey resolving issues on campus started with him taking an interest in problems faced by him and his peers, and engaging in meaningful discussion regarding the same. To this end, he joined the SU Executive Committee for the betterment of student life on campus. He listed some initiatives he took, like opening NAB rooms for students and helping prepare a study guide for second-year students. He said that staying acquainted with juniors, batchmates, seniors, and the administration kept him up-to-date on issues encountered on campus.
He then proceeded to his manifesto. Some of the points he outlined were the creation of a unified portal to make submitting complaints and tracking grievances easier for students, and improving hostel conditions with insulated water tanks and electric generators for a continuous power supply. He proposed a centralised AC system at the SAC gym and hostel common rooms, and the upgradation of ANC facilities—with increased seating and healthier food options. Some other initiatives he spoke about establishing a Food Monitoring Committee, Student Well-being Team, and Technical Activities Team.
He closed his speech by saying that his manifesto points ‘come with a lot of commitment from my side, but it’s something I’m willing to take up for the betterment of the campus.’
Yashwardhan spoke next, beginning with an introduction, and said he entered college like any other student interested in college life and was unaware of college elections at first. It was when he first arrived on campus that he was introduced to the SU, then joining its Executive Committee in his second year, and learning about its structure and functioning. He promised that the SU would work in tandem with the wishes of the GBM ‘with the utmost sincerity, to make the campus a better place.’ He also listed some initiatives he took, like extending ToTT’s and Looters’s timings during the comprehensive examinations of the previous semester, and maintaining vending machines and common rooms.
He went over his manifesto points next. Some of his points elicited a significant response from the audience, especially his proposal to open a random hostel each fortnight, for a few hours, which students could enter irrespective of gender. Another such point was a new penalty system for substance abuse, where he wanted more lenient treatment for first-time offenders and peer-pressured individuals. Some other points in his manifesto were the opening of a healthy food eatery throughout the day, implementing rainwater harvesting and solar panels as part of a “Green Campus Initiative”, a book rental service, and a website for the S9 printing service to reduce queues. He ended his speech by saying that he had completed all his past initiatives and planned on doing the same with all his manifesto points.
In the question–and–answer session that followed, both candidates defended their manifestos and debated over the feasibility of certain proposals. Ashirwad asked Yashwardhan about the BITS Community App which he said was seen in previous years’ manifestos as well, to which he responded that it would not be similar to previous proposals, and that he spoke to seniors and juniors and took their needs into account when coming up with his idea. Yashwardhan questioned his implementation of a central air-conditioning system in the SAC gym. Ashirwad said that it would be a preferable alternative to split-ACs, with less heat entering the rooms whenever doors were opened. Some of their questions moved towards a back-and-forth conversation, and Sneha from the EC had to intervene on several occasions to remind the candidates that cross-questioning was not allowed.
The audience questions shortly followed. The first question, posed to Yashwardhan, required him to justify lighter punishments to students guilty of substance abuse, to which he replied that it would not be fair for a student’s academic career to be ruined due to one mild offence. The second question, also posed to him, was regarding the fortnightly hostel entry point, to which he said the day would be like a small fest with the setting up of stalls and entertainment like sports and games. Both answers were followed by cheers and applause. The next question, directed towards Ashirwad, was regarding his plan to introduce ACs in common rooms, and its feasibility given the electricity charges paid by students. He replied that he would remain in communication with the Chief Warden and provide information soon. The last question, towards Ashirwad, was about extending library timings at night, given that students could not use it when classes were going on in the day. He said that the work hours of the library staff had to be considered too, and the GBM usage during increased timings would also be a decisive factor. He said he would conduct a survey regarding that if elected.
The debate ended with the EC asking members of the GBM who had any more questions, to fill out the Google Form on the official website of the Election Commission, and said their input would be used for the auditorium debate. They also reminded the GBM of the ongoing Constitution review and encouraged them to share their suggestions and opinions. They thanked the GBM for their time and hoped that the best candidate would win.