Elections in a Nutshell
By: Khushi Shah, Aditya Tomar
Elections- Ek Mahabharat
Elections ( /ɪˈlɛkʃ(ə)n/ ):
1. The process in which peoplehave the illusion of choice tovote for a person or a group of people to hold an official position.
2. An annually celebrated cultural occasion in IIT Patna.
Elections are decisive moments that decide the course of how things run for an entire term. It gives the public the freedom to choose a candidate that aligns with their idea of governance and provides a platform to showcase one's leadership skills.
It is the small window when the individual feels the power in their hands and the candidate the weight on their shoulders. While hearing the word 'election' may evoke images like this:
Let’s stick onto the more relevant (and tamer?) version on campus - The Gymkhana Elections.
‘Tis the season for keyboard warriors waging pointless wars, meme barrage, and dead confessions pages rising from the dead to shower their thoughts and judgments. It might be the only instance when everyone around you has an opinion. It could also turn out to be their first encounter for some to see why politics are the way they are.
The best part during this time is watching out for cheeky slogans and banners, eye-catching (sometimes ridiculous) campaigns, and all the fence-sitters juggling their support online for every candidate who approaches them. Academics go for a toss!
The Clarion Call
The election season officially kicks off with a standard mail from the admin declaring nominations to be open, and a code of conduct to be followed. The nominations and the voting happen via a portal on the webmail server, so keep your mail credentials handy!
Filing the nominations
Filing your nomination is the first step while contesting, and interestingly, the heat builds up at this point itself. All the ambitious to-be nominees now have to overcome the dilemma of choosing the right council and creating the perfect manifesto ( which is uploaded on the portal, you can access them later too!).
A very peculiar fact about Gymkhana elections is that every candidate needs to give details of at least two people who support them for the post to file their nomination successfully. There is also an option to withdraw the nomination for a candidate before a given date.
Campaigning
Once they cross the first hurdle, the candidates now enter the grand battle. From a spectrum of personalities - visionaries, changemakers, those who take it as a popularity test, and those who seek CV points, the true test is for the voter who must wisely distinguish between realistic and far-fetched promises.
From an outsider’s view, the campaigning phase is the most entertaining one, and for the candidate - the most crucial one. From announcing their candidature in every possible group to sliding into random batchmates' DMs begging for votes to spending long nights in the hostel going door to door for votes, the aspiring secretaries do not hold back. Some say the chunaav is where future CEOs, marketing geniuses, and even politicians of tomorrow are created (The IITian way).
A unique feature that arose from the newly adapted online elections is the Whatsapp Sticker Spam. With the elections soon approaching, the dead WhatsApp groups seem to still have some demons alive in them with a little too many stickers of the candidates, leaving no one immune to official groups getting spammed with campaign stickers.
Voting
The week, full of popcorn-worthy drama, huge aspirations, and hilarious memes, come to an end with the voting day. The voting portal opens in the morning, usually starting from 9 am. Every voter is expected to log in and vote on the site.
Unfortunately, there is no option to vote for Donald Duck, so choose your candidate wisely. Some of the categories are batch-specific, while the others are common for the entire student body. Everyone is supposed to vote for the core body (Gen Secs) and the Vice President.
We’ve gone enough through election procedures, let's now find out what exactly we are electing people for and what they're supposed to do once elected.
Gymkhana- The Karta Dharta
The Student's Gymkhana is the body of student-elected representatives which works towards the overall development and welfare of students. The Gymkhana was formed to act as a bridge between the administration and the student community.
The Student Gymkhana is the face of the student community every time a decision is taken regarding our campus and the voice in every administrative meeting and committee where our concerns are to be raised.
It has been successful over the years in evolving a well-informed and involved student community. It has also been instrumental in identifying problems faced by students and encouraging dialogue about them. Despite many flaws, it is a working system that plays a critical role in asserting students’ demands and making our campus a student-friendly one.
Major Positions/Roles and Responsibilities
Vice President (VP) - The overall Head of the Student Gymkhana
UG/PG Representatives - Representatives for the entire UG /PG batches and bringing forth their concerns
HOSCA Secretaries - Responsible for the functioning of the House Of Socio-Cultural Affairs, a student-run council that looks over all the cultural clubs and their fests/activities.
Student Welfare Secretaries - They constitute the Student Welfare Board which in turn is responsible for the welfare of students.
Technical Secretaries - Responsible for the functioning of the Student Technical Council which looks over the technical clubs of the college, and their participation in major events and competitions, most importantly the prestigious Inter-IIT Tech Meets.
Sports Secretaries - The Sports Council in IIT Patna plays a very important role in maintaining sporting infrastructure and the sporting culture in IIT Patna. The Secretaries look after all its duties, including support for the contingent to the annual Inter-IIT Sports Meets.
Hostel Affairs Secretaries - Responsible for smooth functioning of respective Hostels.
Academic and Career Counselling Secretaries - A new position opened for the newly formed council that shall look after all the academic, research, and career-oriented activities and concerns.
Mess Secretaries - Responsible for smoother functioning of hostel mess. They act as a bridge between the vendors, the admin, and the students. However, they also come under the Hostel Affairs Council.
Things to keep in mind this election season!
For candidates
Be respectful of others. Throwing insults or cussing at your opponents isn't going to make you look cool
Come up with practical manifestos. (lousy manifestos make for lousy candidates). Learn basic designing or find friends who can design your campaign. A great-looking campaign creates a better impact.
Go easy on the sticker sharing spree.
Don't become one of those backstage fools who spoil the party behind the scenes and drag others through the mud by spreading negative rumours. (By admin’s orders, you may get disqualified if caught defaming others ... so beware!)
For voters
Know your candidates well. Every elected candidate plays a decisive role in shaping our college. Don't blindly vote/support your friends. Fact check rumours. Don’t fall into the trap of impractical agendas that candidates can’t deliver.
Every vote matters. Vote or suffer due to incompetent leaders in the gymkhana.
Don't be pressured into voting for any particular candidate.
Don't publicize your vote. It leads to a more biased voter base and may not bode well for you, in case the opposite candidate wins.
For everyone in general
Don't lose your peace of mind over election season. Let's try making these elections less toxic by avoiding shaming and playing the blame game.
Best wishes to candidates ( don't worry, we'll keep track of the winners and their activities 🙃) and voters( we're here to make you heard, feel free to write to us! )
Happy election season!
Have something to share with us? Write to us at forthright.iitp@gmail.com.
Nice article