Karnataka Revives Student Union Elections in Higher Education Institutions with Reserved Seats for Women

The Karnataka state government has approved the revival of student union elections across universities and colleges starting from the 2026-27 academic year, lifting a ban that had been in place for over two decades. The landmark decision was finalized during a Cabinet meeting following recommendations from a study committee led by Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and Higher Education Minister Dr. M. C. Sudhakar. The move aims to foster democratic values, civic engagement, and leadership capabilities among young university students. Under the new operational framework, every participating institution's student representative body will consist of five key executive positions: President, two Vice-Presidents, General Secretary, and Joint Secretary. To promote gender inclusivity and empower female campus leaders, the government has mandated that two of these five positions—one Vice-President post and the Joint Secretary post—must be reserved exclusively for women candidates. However, to prevent social friction and polarization on campuses, the government decided against implementing any caste-based reservations for these elections. Additionally, participation in the elections will remain optional for individual universities and colleges, allowing institutions flexibility based on their administrative readiness. To safeguard the academic environment from external political influence, political parties and external political organizations are strictly prohibited from interfering in or campaigning for campus elections. State officials emphasized that the initiative will transform higher education campuses into constructive nurseries for future public leaders while maintaining peace and academic discipline.

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