“We do not think that there will be any considerable progress before the Lok Sabha polls. After the polls the 200 teachers of the university will find out other avenues to raise the demand for central status,” said a representative of Bengal Engineering and Science University Teachers Association (BESUTA).

The term of the incumbent vice-chancellor, N R Banerjea, is ending on February 28 this year and the Search Committee of the university has already recommended a panel of three names for the post.

According to sources, the three names that have been shortlisted are that of IIT-Kharagpur professor Ajoy Kumar Ray, Deputy

Director of Indian Statistical Institute Bhargava Bhattacharya and the director of National Institute of Technology, Prof. Swapan Bhattacharya.

Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who is the chancellor of the university, will meet all three nominated members on Monday before making his selection.

Some of the faculty members admit that there have been administrative deficiencies in recent years that affected BESU’s case to get the central university status.

“We cannot deny that there were some administrative loopholes during the last few years and the role of the administration cannot be denied in this. But as per the Anandkrishnan report the institute should have been granted the status much before,” said a teacher of the university.

Some teachers feel that the status of Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) granted to BESU in December 2007 when the Left Front supported the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. During that period, the state government had also managed to secure permission for admitting 50 per cent students to BESU from the state, a criteria unheard of in any central university in the country.

The teachers expect that after the Lok Sabha polls they can get a patient hearing from political establishments, both in West Bengal and New Delhi in this regard.