The CrossWord School

The student elections for the posts of School Pupil Leader (SPL) and Assistant School Pupil Leader (ASPL) were held on 14th August 2023. Pupils of classes 4 to 10 exercised their franchise enthusiastically. Rehan Shareef Syed (class 10) was elected as SPL and Trilokesh Bandi (Class 9) became ASPL.  

The election notification was issued the previous week. The election process consisted of 3 phases. The first phase included the filing of the nominations and selection of the final contestants. The students from classes 10 and 9 filed their nominations for the positions of SPL and ASPL respectively. The hopefuls also had to give a speech to improve their selection prospects. After the speeches, the final nominees for SPL whittled down to 3 candidates; and the ASPL candidates were 4.

The second phase was the most interesting part—the campaign. The campaigning was lively and competitive, with the candidates putting forward their ideas and plans for the school. The contenders for the coveted positions read out their manifestos in the assembly and made attractive posters to convince the students that they were the right choice for the position. Other students too actively participated in the campaigning process. The students supporting the contestants seemed more enthusiastic and many created catchy slogans to show their support towards their beloved contestant. Some of the contenders also teamed up with the other candidates.

The final phase of the elections was the casting of the votes. Nearly 200 students from classes 4 to 10 cast their vote on 14th August. The entire polling process took place was under the supervision of the teachers, headed by Laxmi Kumari mam. More than 20 high school students volunteered as polling officers, booth level agents, and counting assistants. The election process provided an opportunity for the students to use their vote to elect the right leader. The electorate was provided with a secret polling booth to cast their vote. The process also included the marking of their left index finger with indelible ink. By the afternoon, the votes were counted by the election commission (with student representative from each class as observers) and the results were announced.

The new SPL (Rehan) and ASPL (Trilokesh) are both capable and enthusiastic students who are committed to serving their schoolmates. The student election was a success, and the new SPL and ASPL have pledged to work hard to represent the interests of all students.

Reported by

Aasritha A

Class 10