PU Elections: ABVP and SOI announces alliance a day before polling
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, August 30, 2026: A major development has emerged in Punjab University campus politics just a day before polling for the Punjab University Campus Students' Council (PUCSC) elections, with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal-affiliated Students' Organisation of India (SOI) announcing an alliance.
The last-minute tie-up is expected to add a new dimension to the electoral contest, with SOI now set to support ABVP's candidates and mobilise its supporters in favour of the organisation.
SOI is not contesting the presidential post directly this year. Its presidential candidate's nomination was rejected following a dispute over eligibility at the time of filing the nomination papers.
The rejection had led to protests by SOI members outside the Dean Student Welfare (DSW) office and at Gate No. 2 of the university. The organisation had opposed the decision and demanded that its candidate be allowed to contest.
With polling scheduled for the following day, the alliance with ABVP could prove significant in terms of vote mobilisation and electoral arithmetic on the campus.
The development has also intensified competition among the various student organisations contesting the PUCSC elections, with the alliance potentially affecting the distribution of votes across the major candidates.