From Ballots to Bedlam

Written by Asvika Prakash

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The 25th of April was the day of cheers, victories, losses, triumphs of friendships, looks of betrayal and a whole lot of anxious fanfare. Amidst midterm season the day started with the JSIA Election Commission walking in with eager smiles all set to conduct the most crucial election of the year. At 9 am there was a lot to be done including setting up the polling booth, getting the election material ready, ballot papers in order and going through the matters of the day with the volunteers and observers. The Bulletin was called in for a demonstration of the polling and everyone was to be assigned a role. This whole process of setting up was a very thorough and serious affair that could intrigue anyone who’s keen about the electoral process. There was also much chitter- chatter and gossip to keep the EC entertained throughout this day.

While the day was much eventful for the EC, the students had their own share of election fervour. There was a long line at 10 am, right when the voting was to start. What started as a great turnout for the first few hours continued through the day with a dwindling turnout during late afternoon. This election was much awaited with a lot of interest gathered due to the extremely eventful campaigning period. There was much to be discussed and shared amongst people who were very mindful of the voting process. The EC had also come up with the interesting idea to mark people’s fingers like it is done during the general elections in India.

Meanwhile, the town hall was much talked about . From a high turnout to the EC being unable to control the audience to fiery question answer sessions to twisty and tricky situations, there was a bit of everything in the town hall. It was the only thing the JSIA student body could talk about for a few days after. The candidates sure made the election process was one that would be remembered by JSIA for years to come. What was to be a humble democratic exercise turned out to be so melodramatic that it could be said to be worthy of a Tele Novella. The Election Commission sure had their hands full.

As the deadline to vote neared, the volunteers and EC members worked hard to ensure that everybody got a chance to vote. There were provisions made to vote online through absentee ballots as well. By midday, the efficiency of the voting process was evident. Despite the high turnout, there were no major delays or issues. Volunteers ensured that lines moved quickly, and additional stations were opened to accommodate the flow of voters. With the voting period officially coming to an end at 6pm, the EC started preparing for the counting of votes. Since the results were to be announced in a couple of hours, there was a myriad of emotion in the air. The counting process was secure and transparent with the observers overseeing the entire operation.

As the student body braced themselves for the results, one thing was certain: this election season will go down in university history as the most chaotic, scandal-ridden, and downright entertaining spectacle that’s ever been witnessed in JSIA. After a much-anticipated period of waiting, the election commission took to the stage. As the results were announced, cheers and celebration echoed through the halls. The new student council was invited onstage by the existing council. The election commission and a fervently engaged student body brought life to the election season.

The batch of BAGA 2022 had the highest voter turnout with 100% participation. The turnout was much higher with every other batch as well. With this, this election made history with a voter turnout of 65.4%. As for the results, the post of president was left vacant with no candidates contesting. Siddarth Togarrati, was elected to be the Vice president winning 52% of the vote share against NOTA. There was quite a contest for the post of general secretary, where Vibha Hareesh emerged victorious with 47% of the votes against Sujal Shah (31%) and NOTA (22%). The post of cultural secretary was bagged by Harnoor Kaur Uppal with a large share of 64% votes over Aadeepto Majumdar’s share of 20% while NOTA was left with 16%. And finally, the post that was the most anticipated with 3 candidates contesting, was announced. Vedant Thakkar was elected as the Treasurer, a landslide victory with 67% of votes. Vedica Karnik and Yashna Chaudhary secured 15% and 6%, respectively, with NOTA gaining 12% of votes. The Election Commission announced that the by elections for the post of President were to be conducted in the coming weeks.

As of July 2024, the post of President still remains vacant, with no hope of anyone being elected. After multiple rounds of elections by a new election commission wholly dedicated to this process, there has been no fruitful result. Some desperate attempts later, with the student body growing tired of keeping up to date with the seemingly pointless formalities, the election commission has proposed a few amendments to the EC Handbook. Meanwhile, the student council, doing a commendable job managing without a president, is also left hanging. Additionally, the batch of Political Science students, though they gave it their best shot at securing a place in the council for the first time, still lack a voice in the council. And given that the council is still incomplete, the fate of the post of CoCo remains undetermined.

Surely, the student body has something in mind about this vacancy, given that they are inherently political. But who or what could it be? Only time can tell.

Stay tuned for further updates as this story continues to unfold, with unending elections for a president.