Gauhati University poll row: AASU-backed candidate goes on hunger strike over candidature rejection

AASU-backed Gauhati University Students’ Union election candidate Nayan Protim Bora has gone on a hunger strike after his candidature for the post of general secretary was cancelled, triggering protests on the university campus.

Bora and his supporters are demanding that the Gauhati University authorities publicly disclose the grounds for rejecting his candidature. They have alleged that despite repeated demands, the university has not provided a clear explanation for the decision.

Following the cancellation, the opposing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)-backed candidate, Madhurjya Plabon Talukdar, was declared elected uncontested to the general secretary’s post.

The protest escalated on Friday, September 25, with the agitators also burning tyres on the campus as they pressed their demand for clarity from the university authorities.

Bora’s supporters have said the hunger strike will continue until the university explains the reasons behind the cancellation of his candidature.

The university authorities have not publicly clarified the grounds for the rejection so far.