No student union elections in MP for 7 years:Leaders who rose from campus politics now oppose polls; student bodies say, ‘they fear for their sons’

A new debate has started in Madhya Pradesh (MP) over the conduct of student union elections. The High Court has asked the state government to explain why these elections have not been held for the past seven years. The last student union elections took place in 2017. Since then, the government has repeatedly delayed them, citing various reasons. Interestingly, many of today’s senior leaders, including Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav and former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, began their political journeys through student politics. Yet, no initiative has been taken to revive what was once called the ‘nursery of politics’. High Court seeks government’s reply The issue reached the High Court after a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by Adnan Ansari from Jabalpur. He argued that despite the Lyngdoh Committee’s recommendations, universities in MP are not holding student union elections. He said this violates students’ fundamental rights. The petitioner also claimed that universities are collecting student union fees without conducting elections, calling it illegal. The state government has sought time to respond, and the next hearing is scheduled for 1 December. Why elections haven’t been held Student union elections have been pending in MP since 2017. Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar had announced that elections would be held soon, but no steps have been taken so far. The government generally gives three main reasons for the delay: Leaders who rose from student politics Student union elections have played a crucial role in shaping MP’s political history. Between 1975 and 1990, many leaders, including the current Chief Minister, both Deputy Chief Ministers, and the Speaker, began their political careers through student politics. Currently, 12 ministers and 19 MLAs in the Mohan Yadav cabinet have backgrounds in student politics. However, despite their own beginnings in campus elections, the government has not allowed new generations to follow the same path. The average age of these leaders is 63 years, and most have been in politics for 30–40 years. As a result, young people now have limited opportunities to enter political life. Student leaders and experts speak out Bhaskar spoke to several student organisation leaders and experts, including ABVP’s Ketan Chaturvedi, NSUI’s Ashutosh Chouksey, and journalist Deepak Tiwari. They gave four main reasons why student elections are being avoided. 1. Fear of losing dynastic control NSUI state president Ashutosh Chouksey claims the BJP government, in power for most of the past 20 years, fears that new student leaders could challenge the dominance of political families.He said, “Leaders like Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Dr Mohan Yadav rose through student politics. Now they fear that elections will produce grassroots leaders who could threaten their sons’ future in politics.” ABVP’s Ketan Chaturvedi added that it is unfortunate that those who rose from ABVP and student politics are now preventing elections. Deepak Tiwari, a senior journalist and former Vice-Chancellor of Makhanlal Chaturvedi University, said, “Leadership always emerges from student politics.” 2. Hiding corruption and weak governance Chouksey alleged that the BJP wants to suppress other ideologies on campuses. “They want to distract youth with religious and nationalist issues so that no one questions scams like Vyapam or corruption in recruitment and scholarships,” he said. An ABVP official, requesting anonymity, admitted that the lack of elections has weakened college accountability. He said elected student unions could raise issues of hostels, libraries, and campus corruption — something the government now avoids. 3. Fear of youth anger and discontent Political analyst Deepak Tiwari said the government fears organised youth unrest. “Unemployment and poor education have created frustration among students. Elections could provide a platform for this anger, which may turn into a major movement,” he said. He reminded that several major national movements have originated from student protests. 4. Fear of electoral defeat NSUI vice president Ravi Parmar pointed out that MP has 27 universities and 668 government colleges, each with four student union posts. On average, 3–4 candidates contest per post — meaning around 10,000 students participate every year. Due to the absence of elections, about 10,000 potential youth leaders are being lost annually. “In 20 years, nearly 2 lakh young people have been denied a political platform,” he said. Parmar added that BJP fears losing badly if direct elections are held, as students are angry over scams and corruption. Where are the new leaders coming from? According to journalist Deepak Tiwari, until the 1980s and 1990s, student politics was the main source of leadership. However, after 2003, when the BJP came to power, this route was blocked. He explained that young people then entered politics through the Panchayati Raj system — as Sarpanch, Janpad, or Zila Panchayat members. But now, even rural politics has become family-dominated. “Now leaders ensure that their family members occupy every position — from Sarpanch to Zila Panchayat President,” Tiwari said. “This has closed another natural path for young leaders.” 77 MLAs without student politics background In the 2023 Assembly elections, 77 MLAs did not have a student politics background. An analysis of MLAs under 50 years old who were elected for the first time showed 28 from Congress and 47 from BJP. Only a few, such as Congress’s Pankaj Upadhyay and BJP’s Abhilash Pandey and Ghanshyam Chandravanshi, have roots in student politics. Among the rest, 14 MLAs come from political families, and 13 have risen through party organisational roles. The lost nursery of politics Once known as the training ground for future leaders, student politics in Madhya Pradesh has almost disappeared. While today’s senior politicians owe their careers to this system, they have shut the same door for the next generation. Experts warn that if this continues, the state may lose an entire generation of energetic young leaders — and the democratic foundation of student politics may never recover.