Madurai Medical College caught in the eye of poll storm

Madurai Medical College faces academic disruptions as students and staff struggle with election-related challenges during exams.

Come election season, the students and staff of the Madurai Medical College are the worried lot. It is the only medical college in Tamil Nadu that becomes a strong room/counting centre.

The other counting centres are either government schools, polytechnic/engineering/arts and science colleges whose students will be on summer vacation during polling.

In a recent submission made by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Satyabrata Sahoo at the Madras High Court, the Madurai Medical College that was started in 1954 has served as a counting centre during all the elections for over 25 years since 1998. This year too, the medical college is a counting centre for Madurai Lok Sabha constituency (comprising six Assembly segments).

Unlike in the past, this year, there is a huge gap of 47 days between the date of polling (April 19) and the date of counting (June 4) in Tamil Nadu, during which the counting centre will be under the control of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

While students of other counting centres are away on long summer vacation, medical college students continue to attend regular classes and appear for exams, with only a week-long summer break, amidst an election-related security blanket in place. Consequently, classes, exams, paper evaluation and diagnostic test results are affected, complain students and teaching staff.

As exams are around the corner, it is estimated to impact at least 2,110 medical and paramedical students who will be appearing for theory / practical and supplementary examinations (including 400 students from other colleges) in April and May.

Dr. Kumaran, a professor, said, “Seeking to permanently shift the vote counting centre from Madurai Medical College to some other location, the students and teachers have been repeatedly sending written requests to the election authorities and Madurai Collector since September 2019.”