BENGALURU: The Karnataka Cabinet on Wednesday decided to reintroduce student elections in universities and colleges, deputy chief minister G Parameshwara said.Political parties and student organisations will not be allowed to participate in the elections, he said, adding that only officially enrolled students of the respective institution can contest and vote.“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.Under the proposed structure, 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 with two women members.There will be no reservation in the elections as the government does not want to promote caste-based elections among students, Parameshwara said.The detailed modalities, including when and how the elections will be conducted, will be decided later. The elections will be implemented from this year and will cover colleges and universities, but not schools.Parameshwara clarified that holding student elections will not be mandatory. The decision will rest entirely with students, while college managements will have no say in whether elections are held.“If students don’t want it, they can decide not to have it. The management cannot decide. It is the students’ choice,” he said.The decision followed the recommendations of a committee headed by minister Sharan Prakash Patil, which visited various colleges and universities and submitted a report to the government.Parameshwara said the primary objective of reintroducing elections was to develop leadership qualities among students.
10,000 youth clubs planned
On Bharat Jodo Yuva Sanghas (BJYS), Parameshwara said the programme had already been launched, but membership registration was temporarily halted due to technical issues.The state government plans to establish 10,000 BJYS youth clubs at the village level. A new registration form will be distributed through all deputy commissioners from Tuesday, following which the details will be uploaded. The government expects to launch the programme by the end of this month, he said.Around 7.36 lakh members have registered so far, against a target of 10 lakh. BJYS-related activities and programmes will be launched after the target is achieved.For official recognition, each BJYS will have to be registered under the Registrar of Societies. Each association will have a 15-member structure, including a president, secretary and vice-president, along with a government nodal officer or representative.The association will operate a joint bank account managed by its president and a government officer.Around Rs 4 crore will be allocated per Assembly constituency each year, with Rs 10 lakh earmarked for each association.The activities of the youth clubs can include sports, cultural events, National Day celebrations and other local programmes. The objective is to promote democratic and secular values, Parameshwara said.
