Exclusive: KCLSU VP Postgraduate Heena Ramchandani to resign

Current KCLSU VP Postgraduate Heena Ramchandani is due to step down from her role after being re-elected in March 2021.

In a statement to Roar, Ms Ramchandani said the decision to step down was “very impulsive. I just don’t know if I can fully commit to another year of being a student representative. I just think it’s not fair for students to have a representative who’s not fully committed, and this way they have a chance to find someone who will be a better replacement.

“KCLSU has been a dream to work with, and I’m not going to lie, I do have doubts. I’m second-guessing my decision, but I feel like now it’s too late to backtrack.”

Ms Ramchandani was set to continue her role from August 2021, at which point newly elected student officers would also have been fully onboarded. Her campaign won the KCLSU’s Spring Elections with a total of 470 votes. The first runner-up, Aisha Ahmed, received 138 votes. Ms Ahmed told Roar she has rejected an offer from the KCLSU to step into the role, citing a recently accepted research position.

When asked to provide a statement on the matter, the KCLSU told Roar: “[Ms Ramchandani] informed the board of her decision last week and we all wish her well in her next steps beyond KCLSU. Following this decision and to fill the vacancy for the VP Postgraduate, the process is to return the KCLSU Spring Elections and to re-count the votes for the remaining candidates. We are still going through this process and will announce the new VP Postgrad once it is complete.”

The second and third runners-up for VP Postgraduate were Peter Hill and Rebecca Seling, with 105 and 104 votes respectively. KCLSU Officer Elections are run using the “single transferable vote” system in which recounts may be required in the case of resignations. Roar will update you as the situation develops.