Madhya Pradesh students might have union elections after a gap of 15 years

After a gap of over 15 years, Madhya Pradesh is likely to witness student union polls in September-October. The Kamal Nath-led state government is keen to hold the polls in around 1,300 universities across the state.

The state Higher Education Minister Jitu Patwari confirmed this and said that the state government was in favour of students directly electing their representatives.

"The elections might take place in September-October and the government will ensure that the polls are conducted peacefully," he said.

The student union polls were discontinued in Madhya Pradesh in 2003 by the then Bharatiya Janata Party-led government. However, it allowed indirect ways of holding the elections until 2006. The students could choose their leaders in the class and the class representatives had to elect the leaders for the student bodies.

But this was also discontinued following the death of Professor H.S. Sabharwal during the elections in 2006.

Sabharwal (59), head of the Department of Political Science at Madhav College in Ujjain, was attacked by a mob of 25-30 students on August 26, 2006, at the college premises after he canceled the students' council elections. He died at the hospital the next day.