CHANDIGARH: Punjab government has directed all the universities in state to hold student elections in campus and affiliated colleges to comply with the Supreme Court orders issued on September 22 last.  Student elections in Punjab would be held after a gap of about 23 years.

Elections of student bodies in state’s academic institutions were banned in 1983, during high of militancy. Beside five universities, here are about 400 technical and non-technical colleges in the state. Though all the universities on Friday sent compliance of Supreme Court orders to the state government, certain Vive Chancellors have reservations about holding student elections.

The centre government had last week sent a communication to Chief Secretaries of all state government to ensure immediate implementation of the recommendations relating to students Union elections. Narinderjit Singh Principal Secretary higher education said on Friday that he had received compliance of orders of Supreme Court by all universities. He said that process of student elections in all colleges and varsities would begin immediately.

The four universities where election process would begin are Punjab University Chandigarh (In affiliated colleges in Punjab), Punjabi University Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar and Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law Patiala. 

Punjab Agriculture University Ludhiana is already holding student association elections, said Dr.Kirpal Singh Aulakh VC of PAU Ludhiana.

Political activity in Chandigarh colleges also remained suspended until a few years ago. The electoral process on the Panjab University campus and in all its affiliated colleges in Chandigarh was restored in 1997. Students had to resort to agitations to get their right to elect their student bodies restored in their respective institutions in the City.

The Apex Court has directed to hold the student elections on the basis of recommendations offered by the Lyngdoh Committee headed by James Michael Lyngdoh former Chief Election Commission within five eyars period. The committee has put Rs 5,000 limit on election expenses per candidate, ban on printed posters, printed pamphlets or any other printed material for the purpose of canvassing will be allowed. The committee said that elections would be held on a yearly basis and the same should be held between six and eight weeks from the date of commencement of the academic session. Upper age limit of the candidate has also been fixed at 28 years beside some other recommendations.

Punjabi University VC S.S. Boparai said that he was against holding student body elections. He said that politics come into the campus and hooliganism starts. He said that courts should leave such matters to be decided by academicians. He said that after seeing election scene at Punjab University Chandigarh, nobody could advise election in other universities. He said that he would see when the situation of implementing orders of apex court would arise.

Guru Nanak Dev University Vice Chancellor Jai Rup Singh favoured that students must get representation.He however said that they had not yet decided what model of election should be adopted. He said that he would try to start the process of elections in the next academic session since exams are near.