Chennai: The close fight between two prominent professors for the post of Vice-Chancellor in Madras University has forced the Governor’s office to give weightage to their social background as it sought the caste details of the university’s past V-Cs.
“The caste details of the V-Cs in the past 20 years have been sought by the Governor’s office. After knowing which community was least represented in the prestigious post, the new Vice-Chancellor may get appointed,” sources said.
After failing to arrive at a consensus to shortlist three names for the post of Vice-Chancellor, the Madras University V-C search panel had reportedly submitted a panel of nine names to the Governor-Chancellor’s office last week.
This list includes a former vice-chancellor and some other prominent professors. But, the sources indicated that the actual competition is between the two professors who have very good connections with the Ministry of Human Resource Development and BJP.
The two professors are hailing from Badaga and Nayudu communities. “To break the tie the Governor’s office now want to see the social background of the past V-Cs in the varsity. This indicates they may give the opportunity to the unrepresented community,” sources said.
“With the changing political scenario in the state, we cannot rule out a surprise candidate to the post,” they added. The Madras University V-C search panel has P.N. Veda Narayanan, Governor’s nominee as its convener and R.Balasubramanian from SRM University, syndicate nominee and R.Surendra Prasad, senate nominee, as its members.
The search panel has received around 70 applications from the prominent professors and former Vice-Chancellors for the post. But the differences among the panel members on the short listing of the names and subsequent disappearance of one of the panel members had delayed the V-Cs appointment for more than a year. The university is functioning without a head after Professor R. Thandavan’s tenure ended in January 2016.
