Like a young man on his first date, student union leaders learnt early there's nothing quite like liquid cash when it comes to making an impression. After all, one has to stand apart from the crowd. And for that, one needs perfumed cards and the ability to foot petrol and canteen bills of supporters and prospective voters, if only for a week.

The 1998 elections that have now stretched into the new year were no exception. Cash has to be procured for the vital week, no matter what the source, and so, a student of the Padra College of Commerce pawned his scooter for Rs 8,000. The money, he said, would sponsor his ``campaign'' for the faculty representative's post.

Another student of the Faculty of Arts, who's also in the running for faculty representative, mortgaged all the gold rings and chains he wore daily. The cash, he said, went into treating his friends at the canteen and footing their petrol bills ``as they had to buy the stationery for my campaign''.

Similar tales of desperation are legion at the faculties of Science and Technology as well. They're also partly the reason why a section of the students are opposing the re-poll so vehemently. As one student who was in the running for FR said, ``We simply can't afford another round of electioneering''.

The Padra College student had promised to redeem his scooter after his victory. ``Now that the elections have been called off, I may as well consider my scooter sold'', he told Express Newsline bitterly. ``As it is, these elections have been so expensive for me; I simply can't afford another round of such expenditure''.

While the faculty representatives and faculty general secretaries' expenses hover between Rs 5,000 and Rs 8,000, they shoot through the roof for those aspiring to be university general secretary or vice-president.

Interestingly, the candidates aren't the only ones to find the election path paved with expenses; the polls cost the university anything upto Rs 50,000; the re-election will take the costs to Rs 70,000. This covers the printing of 25,000 ballot papers for every post, which have to bound, numbered and distributed; diesel costs of patrol vehicles and drivers' allowances.

While admitting that elections were an expensive affair, student union president S R Pandya said that since it was an established procedure, it couldn't be stopped all of a sudden. May be MSU needs a Seshan to step in.