Mumbai University’s first budget session in 2 years with all senate members stalled by Yuva Sena

NEW DELHI: The Mumbai University senate budget session held on Saturday was stalled by the members from the Yuva Sena and Bombay University and College Teachers’ Union (BUCTU) who argued that the budget was not approved in the management council meeting.

After prolonged delay, the MU senate election was held on September 24 after the Bombay High Court gave a nod to conduct the senate polls. The elections scheduled in 2023 were suspended after the government requested an inquiry into claims of duplicated entries on the electoral rolls.

However, after two years, the elections were held last September and Yuva Sena (UBT), the youth wing of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction, won all 10 seats.

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The Yuva Sena members and BUCTU stalled the senate's budget session for nearly half an hour today by staging a sit-in protest in the well of the house at the university’s Fort campus. Before the sit-in protest, the members conducted a symbolic walkout, the official statement read.

The protesting members argued that the budget had neither been presented nor approved in the Management Council, nor was it listed on the agenda of its March 12 meeting, and therefore, could not be tabled at the Senate session. However, university officials countered that the budget was included in the minutes of the meeting, which were duly discussed and approved.

This is the first senate meeting in more than two years with all elected members. The body has been functioning without 10 elected representatives of university's registered graduates due to persistent delay in elections.