14 hrs ago
Why States Are Bringing Student Union Elections Back
Many colleges and universities in India have not held student elections for years.
Some states are now considering bringing them back.
Karnataka has approved polls, and a court in Madhya Pradesh ordered them.
Maharashtra has asked a committee to design a plan.
Supporters say elected student groups give students a way to raise problems and get help.
They also say elections can teach young people how politics works.
Others worry that elections can lead to violence.
Some student leaders also say state governments may fear student unions becoming powerful or elections reflecting public opinion about the government.
Karnataka has approved student body polls, while Madhya Pradesh’s High Court ordered elections in the state.
Maharashtra has formed a 12-member committee, led by former Mumbai University vice-chancellor Suhas Pednekar, to develop a framework for campus polls.
Student elections have been suspended for years at several universities, often following concerns about political violence.
Supporters say elected unions can channel student grievances, help students navigate campus services, and train future political leaders.
Critics say governments may fear elected student leaders becoming rival power centres or campus elections being seen as a verdict on state performance.
- Who
- State governments, universities, student organisations, and students.
- What
- Several states are taking steps to resume or plan student union elections at universities.
- Where
- Across India, including Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh.
- When
- The article describes current efforts and notes that Madhya Pradesh’s High Court issued an order earlier this year; it gives no publication date.
- Why
- Supporters say elections can provide a structured way to represent student concerns; the article also reports concerns about violence and governments’ reluctance to create independent student power centres.
Arguments for student elections
Concerns about student elections
Campus violence and student grievances
Arguments for student elections
Supporters argue elected unions provide a structured channel for grievances and may help prevent uncontrolled violence; an ABVP leader cited violence at Lovely Professional University as an example of violence occurring even without elections.
Concerns about student elections
Opponents of holding polls have pointed to episodic violence related to student politics; Uttar Pradesh’s ban on elections in state universities since 2018 was attributed to frequent violence.
Political influence and government concerns
Arguments for student elections
Student political workers say elections train future leaders, help students understand political positions, and let organisations assess their support.
Concerns about student elections
An unnamed student leader said chief ministers may fear elected union presidents becoming rival power centres and may see election results as a referendum on state government performance.
Key facts
- Maharashtra committee
- A 12-member panel led by former Mumbai University Vice-Chancellor Prof Suhas Pednekar has one month to submit a report.
- Karnataka
- The state has given the green signal to student body polls.
- Madhya Pradesh
- The High Court ordered student union elections in the state earlier this year.
- Long-running pauses
- The article says Jamia Millia Islamia has had no student body elections since 2006 and Banaras Hindu University since 1996.
- Other reported pauses
- Allahabad University has had no elections since 2018; Jadavpur University has had none since 2020.
- Regular elections
- The article lists Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Assam University, University of Hyderabad, University of Kerala, and Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University among central universities holding regular elections.
- Maharashtra context
- The accompanying article reference describes Maharashtra as reviving student elections after 33 years.
Quotes
An unnamed student leader
Student leader who did not wish to be identified
“The Chief Ministers don’t want a power centre to emerge in the form of an elected student union president; they want their loyalists to occupy important positions. Also, the CMs often think that a student union election is perceived as a referendum on the performance of the state government. A BJP CM would not want the NSUI to win, and a Congress CM would not want the ABVP to win. So, they prefer to stall polls.”
indianexpress.com
“Elections provide a platform for students to air their grievances. The kind of violence that took place in LPU is partly because private universities don’t have elected student unions. These unions can channel the grievances of students in a structured manner.”
indianexpress.com
Abhinav Mishra
ABVP national media co-convenor
“In Odisha too, the state government is in talks with stakeholders to resume student union polls. In UP, the ABVP (the RSS’ student wing) has met people at the top levels demanding that elections in universities be resumed.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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