Voting for the Patna University Student Union elections faced disruption as a controversy arose over a candidate’s name on the ballot paper at Patna College. Rinkle Yadav, an independent candidate, alleged that her name was incorrectly printed as “Rinkle Kumar” instead of “Rinkle Yadav.” This led to a brief commotion, with the candidate tearing ballot papers in protest.
The incident resulted in a temporary disruption of voting at the college for about 20 minutes. Following the issue, the university administration instructed polling personnel to manually correct the candidate’s name on the ballot papers using a pen. Protesting candidates later raised objections over similar ballot name discrepancies at other booths within the university campus.
The atmosphere was tense due to the elections, and the brief detention of the candidate further agitated some students. Police and university authorities urged students to maintain peace, emphasizing that maintaining law and order was their top priority. Polling, which began at 8:30 a.m., continued under police deployment across all colleges until 2:30 p.m.
Eyewitnesses reported disruptions at various colleges, with voter turnout figures by 11 a.m. showing 32% at Patna Women’s College, 27% at Patna Law College, 18% at Arts College, 13% at Commerce College, 16% at Patna College, and 16% at Patna Science College. A total of 41 candidates are contesting for five central panel posts and 45 candidates for councillor positions. Counting of votes is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. at Patna Arts College, with results expected late at night.
