COIMBATORE: Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has announced extended leave for students of its constituent and affiliated colleges to facilitate their participation in the April 23 assembly election. A public holiday had already been declared on April 23 (Thursday), and the university has now given leave on April 24 (Friday) as well.Acting vice-chancellor K Subrahmaniyan said the holidays from April 23 to 26 would help students travel to their native places, cast their votes and return. Since April 25 (Saturday) and April 26 (Sunday) are regular holidays, the extended break offers sufficient time for students to return safely.He noted that many students, especially first-time voters, stay in hostels far from their hometowns and may find it difficult to return within a day. “So, providing an additional holiday will ensure that students can exercise their democratic rights without travel pressure,” he said. A senior official on the Anna University’s Coimbatore regional campus said colleges had been instructed not to schedule practical examinations immediately before or after polling day to facilitate student participation in voting.He added that examinations originally scheduled for April 22 or April 24 could be rescheduled and conducted on any convenient date till April 30.
