Raj government informs high court student union polls won't be conducted this year

The Rajasthan government Wednesday told the high court that student union polls will not be conducted this year, citing the planned implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) and suggestions from university heads all over the state. In a formal response to the court, the government stated that the prevailing academic situation makes it impossible to hold the polls.

Authorities invoked the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, according to which student union elections must be held within eight weeks of the beginning of the academic session. They pointed out that the continuous academic calendar, reconfigured in the wake of NEP implementation, doesn't allow following this schedule.

The govt further informed the court that nine universities' vice-chancellors have recommended that the polls not be held this year. The officials, as per the submission, have cited disruption in class timetables and an uncertain academic structure as the reasons behind holding up the polls.

The issue was raised in the high court by Jai Rao, a first-year student of the MA course of Rajasthan University, who approached the court through a petition on July 24. Rao, in his appeal, claimed that the right to elect student representatives is inherent and asserted that elections never took place in Rajasthan for three consecutive academic sessions.

The court had heard the case for the last time on July 29 and asked the state to submit a detailed reply. In the meantime, student leaders from all over the state have organized several demonstrations in recent weeks demanding that the elections be conducted at the earliest.