Karnataka brings back student polls, keeps political parties out

The Karnataka cabinet on Wednesday, 9 September decided to reintroduce student elections in universities and colleges, with political parties and student organisations barred from participating, deputy chief minister G. Parameshwara said.

"Student elections were earlier held in colleges but were subsequently banned. We have now decided to reintroduce elections in universities and colleges," Parameshwara told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

Each college will have one student president, two vice-presidents, including one woman, one general-secretary, two joint secretaries, including one woman, and a six-member executive committee, including two women.

There will be no reservation in the elections, as the government does not want to encourage caste-based politics among students, Parameshwara said. The detailed modalities, including the timing and manner of conducting the elections, will be decided later.

The elections will not be mandatory. Colleges can hold them only if students want them, with the decision resting with the students rather than the management. "If students don't want it, they can decide not to have it. The management cannot decide. It's the students' choice," Parameshwara said.

He said the government had constituted a committee headed by minister Sharan Prakash Patil, which visited colleges and universities and submitted a report. The cabinet decision was taken based on its recommendations, with the primary objective of developing leadership qualities among students.

Parameshwara said the elections would be introduced from this year and would cover colleges and universities, but not schools. "Students themselves should elect their representatives. They should be officially enrolled students of that college," he said, reiterating that political parties and student organisations would not be allowed to participate.

The Cabinet also reviewed the government's Bharat Jodo Yuva Sanghas (BJYS) initiative, under which 10,000 youth clubs are to be established at the village level.

Parameshwara said the programme had already been launched but membership registration was temporarily suspended because of technical problems. A new form will be distributed through deputy commissioners from Tuesday, with the information subsequently uploaded, and the government expects to launch the programme by the end of the month.

Around 7.36 lakh people have registered so far against a target of 10 lakh, he said. Activities under the programme will begin once the target is reached.

The BJYS will have to be registered with the Registrar of Societies to receive official recognition. Each association will have a 15-member structure, including a president, secretary and vice-president, with a government nodal officer or representative also involved.

Each association's bank account will be jointly operated by its president and a government officer, Parameshwara said.

The government will allocate around Rs 4 crore per Assembly segment each year, with Rs 10 lakh earmarked for each association. The clubs can organise sports and cultural events, National Day celebrations and other local activities. The stated objective of the initiative is to promote democratic and secular values among young people, Parameshwara said.

With PTI inputs