[ad_1]
Last updated:
The Panjab University Senate elections will be held in phases from September 7 to October 4, 2026, following CP Radhakrishnan’s approval amid the ongoing protests over state autonomy.
People taking part in the students’ protest demanding declaration of Senate elections at the Panjab University campus in Chandigarh. (Image: PTI)
Panjab University Senate elections will be held in different phases between September 7 and October 4, 2026, as approved by the Vice President of India on Thursday.
The announcement comes after weeks of intense protests by students, farmer unions and politicians across Punjab.
Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, who is the Chancellor of Panjab University (PU), gave his approval to the election schedule for the Senate, which is the primary decision-making body of the university. The Centre, in a controversial move, had attempted to shrink the PU Senate and eliminate the electoral process for specific constituent groups – a move widely perceived as an attack on the state’s autonomy.
The voting schedule is as follows:
- The elections will be held between 7 September and 4 October 2026.
- For the constituency ‘Principals of Technical and Professional Colleges and from among the employees of such colleges’, the election is scheduled for September 7, 2026 and the results will be out on September 9, 2026.
- Elections for professors in the teaching departments of the university will be held on September 14, 2026, the results of which will be declared on September 16.
- Associate and assistant professors in the teaching departments of the university will also vote on September 14, 2026, with the results declared on September 16.
- Heads of Affiliated Arts Colleges; Assistant, Associate and Full Professors of Affiliated Arts Colleges; And for registered graduates, elections will be held on September 20, 2026 and the results will be declared on September 22.
- The elections and results for faculties in PU, Chandigarh will be held on October 4, 2026.
What is the matter?
The announcement of the Senate election schedule is a significant reversal by the central government, which had initially attempted to change the governance structure of PU.
The term of the previous Senate ended in October 2024. On October 28, 2025, a notification was issued to reduce the number of senators by eliminating elections for the graduates’ constituency, which normally selects 15 members from among PU alumni in Punjab, Chandigarh and neighboring states.
Subsequent protests went beyond the immediate issue of PU autonomy, with the move seen as a challenge to state rights. The protesting students included civil society groups, farmers’ unions (including Sanyukt Kisan Morcha-Non-Political and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Morcha), and politicians of all stripes – Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the AAP, Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress were seen with him.
The Education Ministry withdrew its controversial notification on 7 November. But the agitation continued, particularly to press for the announcement of the Senate election schedule and included a university shutdown on 10 November, leading to clashes between protesters and police.
The Senate is the primary decision-making body of PU and its role includes setting important policies and guiding the governance of the university. It has 91 members, out of which elections are required for 49 seats.
The news desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who chronicle and analyze the most important events happening in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, Desk…read more
The news desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who chronicle and analyze the most important events happening in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, Desk… read more
Chandigarh, India, India
November 27, 2025, 8:54 pm IST
read more
[ad_2]
