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Buds Of Venom

Clean student politics is possible—if politicians are kept out

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Buds Of Venom
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Election campaigning in Delhi University

Money, it appears, has little role to play in the elections in Jadavpur University, Calcutta. According to its registrar Rajat Bandyopadhyay, the administration gives a small amount to the students to conduct elections and makes provision for two or three vehicles required for campaigning. Interestingly, the election committee that is set up to conduct elections comprises not only student representatives but also teachers nominated by the vice-chancellor of the university. The returning officer is usually the Dean of Students appointed by the vice-chancellor. "For every 50 students, one representative makes it to the college union," says Bandyopadhyay. And quite unlike JNU where party affiliations are not frowned upon, Jadavpur makes no allowance for student wings of political parties. "Students contest here independent of their party ideologies. They cannot identify themselves with student wings of political parties," says Bandyopdhyay.

Classes are not suspended during elections. Students have to make time to cast their votes. No one has any objections to this. According to Bandyopadhyay, it is the attitude of the administration and the students that makes all the difference. Also, institutions must have well-established rules for conducting elections.

But can rules root out politics? No. But they do ensure student politics is not marred by violence. Points out Amit Chakravarti, general secretary of the Jadavpur University student's union: "Politics at our level is a form of our voice against the administration's wrongdoings and other issues of national and international importance and it is during elections that we give a voice to our demands. That's why the crisis in Lebanon, or the rehabilitation of oustees of the Sardar Sarovar project or Bush's stance on Iraq is often interwoven with the students' position on fee hikes." But, he adds, such issues are discussed in a democratic manner and does not degenerate into use of muscle power.

In Hyderabad University, there is a written code which says that students will not spend more than Rs 500 on campaign posters. "There is also a limitation on the number of posters that are to be put up for the campaign and it is the students who decide by vote on who gets a seat in the 12-member election commission which then gets into the process of announcing the dates," says dean, student welfare, Uma Maheshwar Rao. Again, Hyderabad University is small compared to, say, Delhi University where campaigning is currently at its peak. Last time round, a little over Rs 1 crore was spent in Delhi, with major political parties like the Congress and BJP actively showing interest in the performance of their student affiliate bodies—the NSUI and ABVP. "I am surprised at the level of interest shown by the media and political parties in student elections to Delhi University," says Rao. "Why should the two be linked at all?" she asks.

It is for this reason that the Lyngdoh committee has gone about providing a template for the conduct of elections in colleges. Its position on elections is articulated by one member: "There is no question of banning elections in colleges. It is the students' right to have their representatives to air their views and have an elected body that is accountable to them. There are suggestions, however, on the best possible methods that can be adopted." Keeping political parties out or encouraging healthy political debates and having a clear framework for conducting elections seems to be the solution as Hyderabad, Jadavpur and Pune universities have shown.

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