Rajasthan: Student poll ban puts BJP in bind as ABVP turns on own govt

The ban on student union elections in Rajasthan, imposed in 2023 when the state Assembly elections were announced and the Model Code of Conduct came into force, has not been lifted even after the BJP came to power. The issue has now put the Bhajan Lal Sharma government in an unusual spot, with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the BJP’s student wing, staging protests across the state demanding the restoration of the elections.

In effect, the ABVP has been embarrassing its own party and government by demanding that elections be held.

The Congress has also demanded that student union elections be permitted in various government-funded universities, arguing that students should be allowed to exercise their democratic rights.

Those who have demanded the elections include Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, a former president of the Jodhpur University Students’ Union; former BJP ministers Rajendra Singh Rathore and Rajpal Singh Shekhawat; and several other MPs and present and former legislators who were student leaders during their college and university years.

But it was the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the Congress’ student wing, that first launched a campaign for the restoration of student union elections in Rajasthan University as soon as the new academic session began.

NSUI leader Shubham Revar went on a 15-day hunger strike at the university, demanding that the ban on student elections be lifted. Revar was supported by Congress leaders, and it was at the instance of former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully that he broke his fast after his health deteriorated.

It was only after the NSUI protests that the ABVP launched statewide protests. ABVP activists staged a dharna outside the main gate of Rajasthan University, with a large number of cadres climbing onto the university gate while demanding the restoration of student union elections.

The police arrested 35 students and charged them with disturbing the peace and trespassing. While the NSUI protests received the support of the Pradesh Congress Committee and other Congress leaders, the ABVP received no response from the BJP’s state unit.

In Jodhpur, ABVP protesters led by Moti Singh Jodha demanded student union elections at Jai Narayan Vyas University, where elections have not been held for the past four years.

At Mohanlal Sukhadia University in Udaipur, students belonging to the NSUI and ABVP clashed, prompting the university administration to call in police to disperse the crowd. Similar protests were witnessed at various district headquarters across the state, with both the NSUI and ABVP demanding the restoration of student polls.

The student elections controversy comes amid another source of friction between the BJP and sections of Rajasthan’s youth.

Recently, the Karni Sena, the youth wing of the influential Rajput community led by Mahipal Singh Makrana, concluded a 600-km foot march, the Sarwarna Nyay Yatra, from Bikaner to Jaipur. Its principal demand was the withdrawal of the 2026 UGC regulations requiring colleges to establish equity committees to monitor caste discrimination and safeguard against false complaints.

The Karni Sena argued that the provisions were biased and compromised the academic and career interests of upper-caste, or general-category, students. The Rajput youth group, whose members are supporters of the BJP, maintained that the regulations would create a one-sided legal framework against general-category communities.

The Karni Sena agitators, who were peacefully protesting, were allegedly lathi-charged and subjected to water cannons, resulting in the death of one Rajput agitator. Following the police action, the Karni Sena vowed not to support the BJP and demanded Rs 1 crore in compensation for the deceased agitator, Devraj Singh Palara.

The Karni Sena’s decision not to support the BJP came as a shock to the party leadership. Since the days of former Rajasthan chief minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Rajputs have been regarded as a strong support base for the BJP.

The larger debate over student polls

Whether student union elections should be banned across the country is a complex debate. Those favouring a ban cite repeated instances of campus clashes and rowdy behaviour, with some confrontations taking the shape of caste clashes and disrupting the academic environment.

Vice-chancellors of various universities have strongly advocated a ban, arguing that students often become involved in clashes and fights and that money is raised to contest elections. Vice-chancellors appearing before the Lyngdoh Committee in 2006 favoured a total ban on student union elections.

The J.M. Lyngdoh Committee was a Supreme Court-mandated committee headed by the former chief election commissioner. Its report suggested several measures to curb the influence of money and muscle power in student elections and also sought to limit the number of times a student could contest or be elected to a union.

The report was accepted in several states, where student union elections continue to be held under these norms.

India is the world’s youngest democracy, and the recent unrest around the NEET paper leak and the emergence of the Cockroach Janta Party movement have triggered sharp political debate. The CJP protests became a public movement, eventually resulting in the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The protests reflected years of accumulated frustration over jobs and examination leaks. Pradhan’s resignation was seen as a clear victory for Gen Z, while the growing involvement of young people in public affairs has taken a sharp turn that has unsettled the BJP high command.

Against this backdrop, with the country’s youth increasingly mobilised, emotionally charged and hostile to the establishment, BJP-ruled states may be reluctant to grant permission for the restoration of student union elections.