JAP forms college union

RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, Kalimpong, Dec. 21: The Jana Andolan Party's students' wing today formed the union in Kalimpong College with its candidates winning all 10 posts.

The Jana Andolan Students' Union (Jasu) won 12 of the 22 seats in the union polls held on December 14 and defeated the Gorkha Janumukti Morcha's student front, Vidyarthi Morcha, that had got 10 seats.

Today around 5pm, 12 Jasu candidates told reporters that they had formed the union. "We won all 10 posts, including those of the vice-president, general secretary, assistant general secretaries (two) and treasurer," said Manish Khaling, the general secretary.

The other five posts are of sports and games secretary, magazine and literary secretary, cultural secretary and common room secretaries (two). The college principal is the ex-officio president of the union.

Khusboo Chhetri, the union vice-president, said: "We will work with other students, not just the board members, to address issues in the college."

After the polls, the Morcha had claimed that four of Jasu's 12 candidates were Independents and the Morcha would form the board. Accusing the Morcha of trying to poach and threaten it's candidates, JAP had kept all 12 at an undisclosed location. The JAP later released a recording where Morcha's Kalimpong MLA Sarita Rai was heard seeking a winner's support to form the board.