Chandigarh, Aug. 31 -- Panjab University is all set to hold the PU Campus Students Council (PUCSC) elections on Monday, with more than 16,000 voters scheduled to cast their ballots across 191 polling booths in 60 departments to elect four office-bearers and department representatives. Elections will also be held in eight colleges in the city. Police officials said around 1,000 cops would be on duty at PU and major colleges. Officials at the PU police post said regular patrolling on the campus and adequate deployment outside the Gymnasium Hall, where counting will take place, would be ensured. PU security personnel will also keep an eye. Outsiders will not be allowed to enter the campus. Besides, traffic police personnel will be deployed to manage bottlenecks near Sectors 15, 32, 10 and 26, among other places. Following one of the shortest campaign periods in more than 15 years at the university, the high-stakes election features a presidential race with just four candidates in the fray, notably with no female representation for the top post. Five candidates are contesting for the vice-president's post, while three are in the fray for general secretary and four for joint secretary. As many as 170 candidates are contesting the department representative elections. As per the provisional list released by the Dean Students Welfare (DSW), there are 16,468 eligible voters, including research scholars. The authorities are still in the process of registering new students, so the final number of voters is likely to be higher than the figure given. Several Left parties are not contesting for the president's post. All eyes will be on the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) to see if the party can repeat last year's feat by winning the president's seat with its candidate, Ankit Badhan. Ever since direct PUCSC elections were introduced at PU in 1977, this was the first time the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh won the presidential post, with Gauravveer Sohal becoming the previous PUCSC president. The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) has not held the president's seat since 2023, while the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP) has not held the top seat since 2022. Both parties will be looking to reclaim the position. Sath, contesting for the presidential seat for the first time since 2022, is the only one of the four parties that has not won the presidential election yet. After the SOI candidate's nomination was cancelled, the party declared its support for ABVP candidate Ankit Badhan. This is the first time since 2016 that the student wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal has been in an alliance with ABVP. The move carries even more significance as SOI's parent party, SAD, is said to be in talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the political wing of the RSS, to rebuild their alliance for the Punjab assembly elections scheduled for next year. Both NSUI and ASAP have chosen Sikh candidates and formed alliances to include members from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, as many students hail from these regions. The Sath party has, meanwhile, appealed to Sikh students for support. Just a day before the election, PU Pustak Club, run by students not aligned with any student party, hosted a debate at the University Sports Club, where it invited all four presidential candidates. Only Aadil Brar of ASAP and Darshpreet Singh of Sath turned up. PU Chief of University Security Vikram Singh also visited the spot. The candidates spoke about their manifestos and the problems students face on campus. Earlier, PU used to hold such debates at the Student Centre, but this was stopped in 2010 after clashes were reported in 2009. In the eight colleges, polling will begin at 9.30 am. As many as 39,386 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise. At GGDSD College, Sector 32, a total of 56 polling booths have been set up for 10,513 eligible voters. At DAV College, Sector 10, 7,536 students are eligible to vote. The expected turnout is likely to be lower than usual, with the Rakhi break prompting several students, particularly hostelers, to return home....