TMC faction presses Bengal government for immediate student union polls

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress faction led by Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee has demanded that the West Bengal government immediately conduct student union elections in all colleges and universities across the state. Speaking at the foundation day event of his faction's student wing on Friday, Banerjee said the absence of polls is hampering the student movement.

Banerjee urged the government to make its position clear on whether it will hold the elections. He also called for an upper age limit for those occupying student leadership positions within political parties.

Taking aim at both the current and previous administrations, Banerjee noted that former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, despite being a product of the student union movement, never conducted campus elections during her tenure. He argued that the BJP, which came to power by capitalising on the previous government's failures, must now deliver on its promises by holding the polls.

Student union elections in West Bengal have been stalled for five years. A public interest litigation was filed in the Calcutta High Court last year seeking their resumption. While the state government has expressed willingness, it has cited a lack of initiative from individual institutions. Students at Jadavpur University have held protests for two years demanding elections, which have not been held there for half a decade.

The High Court has also directed the state to seal union rooms in colleges lacking recognised student bodies or recent elections. It further observed that governing bodies of higher education institutions should be free from political influence and include eminent academicians.

Banerjee alleged that the BJP government has appointed its MPs and MLAs as presidents of governing bodies in 247 state-aided colleges, a move he said reflects the ruling party's failure to shed the "ills" of previous regimes. Recent appointments include Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee as head of East Kolkata Girls College's governing body and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar as president of Balurghat College's governing body.

State Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay defended the appointments, saying there is nothing unusual about them and noting that all appointees hold bachelor's degrees.