Patna: More than 400 teachers of Patna University will vote on Wednesday to elect the new leadership of the Patna University Teachers’ Association (PUTA), with delayed promotions, service benefits and workplace welfare emerging as key issues in the contest.Polling will be held at the Patna College gymnasium hall from 10am to 3.30pm. Counting will begin 30 minutes after polling ends and results are expected late in the evening.Chief returning officer N K Jha said arrangements had been completed to ensure fair and peaceful polling.The elections, being held after more than three years, have attracted 25 candidates for seven posts—president, two vice-presidents, general secretary, two joint secretaries and treasurer. The last PUTA elections were held on July 17, 2023.Four candidates are in the fray for president: Kumar Satyendra Yadav, Shankar Kumar, Shiv Sagar Prasad and Supriya Krishnan. Archana Jaiswal, Salim Javed and Suppan Prasad Singh are contesting for the two vice-president posts.Five candidates are contesting for general secretary: Ashutosh, Ashutosh Pandey, Virendra, Deep Narayan and Shekhar. Ten candidates are seeking the two joint secretary posts. Naqui Ahmad John, Jyoti Chandra and Md Ziaul Hasan are contesting for treasurer.Twelve executive committee members have been elected unopposed. Voting will take place for contested representation from Patna College, Magadh Mahila College and the Faculty of Social Sciences.Campaigning intensified in the run-up to polling, with debates focusing on delays in promotion and confirmation, pay anomalies, academic infrastructure and concerns about the association’s independence from administrative pressure.Workplace needs of women teachers also featured prominently, including demands for improved maternity and paternity leave, child care leave and crèches.
