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For the Congress, the move is not just about student representation but about rebuilding a political pipeline that has remained shut for over three decades
DK Shivakumar, the deputy chief minister and state KPCC president, has constituted a nine-member party committee to study the modalities of restoring the polls. (PTI)
It was in 1989 that a Congress government, rattled by campus violence and rising political influence in colleges, banned student union elections in Karnataka. Thirty-six years later, the same party is now preparing to reopen the door—this time with an eye firmly on tapping young political talent for its own future.
The trigger for lifting the ban has come right from the top.
After Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged the Karnataka Congress to revive student union elections and tap young political talent, DK Shivakumar, the deputy chief minister and state KPCC president, has constituted a nine-member party committee to study the modalities of restoring the polls—a move that could revive organised campus politics across the state.
In a letter dated December 27, Shivakumar announced the formation of a committee and directed it to submit recommendations. Medical education minister Sharan Prakash Patil has been named its convenor and the committee has been given 15 days to submit its report.
The panel includes higher education minister Dr MC Sudhakar, MLCs Saleem Ahmed, Basanagouda Badarli and Puttanna, MLAs Rizwan Arshad and B Shivanna, Karnataka Youth Congress president HS Manjunath and state NSUI president Keerthi Ganesh among others.
For the Congress, this is not just about student representation. It is about rebuilding a political pipeline that has remained shut for over three decades.
Student union elections in Karnataka were banned in 1989 under then chief minister Veerendra Patil. The decision came after a series of violent incidents and clashes on college campuses, with the government growing wary of the increasing role of political parties in student life.
At the time, campuses were turning volatile, with student groups aligned to political outfits often at the centre of confrontations, disrupting academic activity. The ban was intended to curb violence and restore order in educational institutions.
What was meant as a corrective step, however, ended up suspending organised student politics in the state for over three decades—a legacy the Congress is now being forced to revisit.
“There is a need to create second and third-tier leadership and use the experience of seasoned leaders to hone new talent, which will also help lead the party,” said a senior Congress leader who is part of the revival process.
Shivakumar announced the decision at the Congress foundation day programme at Bharat Jodo Bhavan. “We have to develop new leaders at the college level. So, I have formed a nine-member committee headed bySharanprakash Patil,” he said.
Shivakumar, along with senior leaders BK Hariprasad, Ramalinga Reddy and HM Revanna, emerged from student politics—a generation that rose through campus mobilisation before moving into mainstream power.
Shivakumar has repeatedly mentioned that student politics shaped his life and growth, and he sees it as an essential medium of democratic development as well. He has often highlighted that campus elections promote representation and discipline while nurturing future leadership, frequently recalling his own days as a student leader and crediting campus politics for shaping his political journey.
The deputy CM had first flagged the proposal in November at a Constitution Day event, saying that student elections were essential to rebuilding political leadership on campuses that have remained depoliticised since the ban.
The committee has been tasked with examining whether student elections should be held under party banners, along ideological lines, or in a formally non-political format. It will study the stages at which elections can be conducted, their advantages and risks, and the likely consequences of reopening campuses to organised politics after 36 years.
The panel will also look into eligibility criteria, election systems, costs, transparency, grievance redressal, security arrangements, representation and inclusivity—including quotas for women, marginalised communities and students with disabilities—and the tenure of student unions without disrupting academic calendars.
The committee’s report is crucial, as it will decide the mechanics, and lifting the ban could help the Congress immensely, say KPCC insiders.
December 29, 2025, 13:25 IST
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