Facing severe criticism from opposition parties and students’ outfits over the issue of students’ body elections in the state, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Tuesday said that direct election to students’ bodies will be started from next year.
“This year, indirect elections to students’ union will be held in Universities and Colleges of Haryana while next year, direct elections will be held,” the Chief Minister said while talking to mediapersons.
He said that the BJP Government has allowed holding of students’ body elections after 22 years in the state.
Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had on Monday announced that the colleges and universities in the state will be allowed to hold student union elections, albeit indirectly. These polls will be held before October 15, the Minister had said.
The Congress and INLD have been demanding that direct elections should be held in the colleges or universities of the state.
INSO, the student wing of Haryana’s main opposition party, Indian National Lok Dal had even held several protests in the past over the demand of students’ body polls in the state.
Following the announcement of indirect elections, INSO chief Digvijay Chautala on Tuesday said that a meeting of students’ outfits will be held on October 4 to decide future of action. We demand direct elections and will protest against the State Government’s decision, he said.
The elections to students’ unions in colleges and universities of Haryana have not been conducted for 22 years. These elections were banned by the then Chief Minister, Bansi Lal, in 1996 in view of the unruly and violent behavior of some students group at that time.
Even as students’ union election remained a key poll issue in Haryana, the ban was not lifted during the INLD as well as Congress regime in the past one decade in the state.
Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had announced that the students’ body elections would be held this year in all universities and those colleges which have been opened in 2016-17 or earlier.
Sharma had said that the government has given approval to the report of four-member committee comprising of three Vice Chancellors and one Registrar regarding conduct of these elections.
“The present State Government has decided to hold elections as per the recommendations of the committee constituted and the Lyngdoh committee. As elections would be held after a long time therefore the universities and college administration should make proper arrangements of law and order with the District Administrations,” the Minister had said.