Student Union Elections Make a Comeback Across Several Indian Universities and States

Student union elections are making a comeback in universities across several Indian states after being stalled for years. Karnataka has given the green signal for student body polls, while the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered earlier this year that elections be held in that state.

State-Specific Moves

In Maharashtra, the Higher and Technical Education Department formed a 12-member committee headed by former Mumbai University Vice-Chancellor Prof Suhas Pednekar to create a framework for polls within a month. The Odisha government is also talking with stakeholders to resume polls, and the ABVP has met top-level officials in Uttar Pradesh to demand the resumption of university elections.

Where Polls Stopped

Many campuses suspended elections due to episodic violence. Jamia Millia Islamia has not held student elections since 2006, Banaras Hindu University since 1996, and Aligarh Muslim University since 2018. Allahabad University stopped polls in 2018, the University of Himachal Pradesh in 2019, and the University of Ladakh in 2024. In Uttar Pradesh, state university polls were banned in 2018 following frequent violence, with halts starting earlier in Meerut, Gorakhpur, and Lucknow. Gujarat state universities discontinued polls in 2023, and Jadavpur University in Kolkata has not held them since 2020. However, central universities like JNU, Delhi University, Assam University, University of Hyderabad, University of Kerala, and Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University still hold regular elections, alongside Panjab University and Patna University.

Arguments For and Against

Supporters argue that elected unions act as a safety valve to channel student grievances and train future political leaders. Critics and cautious state governments, however, often worry that powerful student leaders could rival state authorities or that election losses could be viewed as negative public referendums on ruling parties.

Context

University student elections have long served as primary training grounds for national and regional political figures in India. Debates over holding these polls typically center on balancing democratic student participation with maintaining campus security and academic focus.