Cabinet Meeting To Take A Call On Bringing Back Elections In Colleges/Universities

“There is pressure to bring back elections to the students union (colleges and universities),” said Minister of Home Dr G. Parameshwar in Bengaluru on Monday and stated “a decision on bringing back elections to the students union would be taken in the cabinet meeting.”

However, he recalled, decades back then Minister of Higher Education K.H. Ranganath banned elections to student unions in colleges and universities after the conduct of elections resulted in clashes among students. Taking note of the clashes, the Higher Education Minister banned the elections. Now, again the elections to the student’s union are under consideration by the State Government.

“When I was the Higher Education Minister, a ban was imposed on elections to elect members to the Syndicate of Universities,” the Home Minister pointed out. “Let’s wait for the cabinet to arrive at a decision in the cabinet meeting,” said the Home Minister.

At the conference of Vice-Chancellors in Bengaluru on Saturday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah put forth the idea before Vice-Chancellors of reintroduction of elections to students’ union and the idea put forth by Siddaramaiah met with opposition from Vice-Chancellors.

Vice-Chancellors told the Chief Minister conducting elections in a semester course would affect academics apart from bringing politics to the colleges and universities campuses (to disturb the atmosphere).

Siddaramaiah stated the idea behind bringing back elections to the student’s union is to groom leadership among students and said “Nowadays the State lacks student leaders.”