
Panjab University student elections are underway, with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) tapping into anti-system sentiment but students saying the real issues remain hostels, clean washrooms, food quality and campus safety. The…
Panjab University student elections are underway, with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) tapping into anti-system sentiment but students saying the real issues remain hostels, clean washrooms, food quality and campus safety. The CJP has used social media to amplify frustration, yet conversations with students show the election is intensely hyperlocal.

South Campus students especially feel neglected, citing outdated dental department infrastructure and shortage of hostel accommodation. Students also flagged poor maintenance of gym equipment, cleanliness and research scholar grants. Political science professor Emmanual Nahar said Gen Z brings its own reactive ideology to politics, but mainstream parties, Congress, BJP, AAP, still hold significant influence on campus.
With Punjab’s next assembly election approaching, the PU results may signal wider political currents. The question is whether this year’s poll produces a political statement or another mandate for better hostels and cleaner campuses.
Panjab University's student elections, now overshadowed by the Cockroach Janta Party's anti-establishment appeal, remain a rare electoral event where candidates must answer for everyday governance, hostels, washrooms, food. This hyperlocal focus mirrors a growing national trend: voters prioritising tangible civic issues over ideological slogans. With Punjab's assembly elections due in less than two years, the PU campus serves as a bellwether for whether young voters will punish or reward mainstream parties for local service delivery failures. The real test is which party's student wing can show the most concrete hostel and campus improvements by voting day.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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