Ban lifted on student union elections

Lucknow: Bowing to pressure mounted by the opposition parties, particularly the Samajwadi Party, the Uttar Pradesh Government yesterday lifted ban on holding students' union elections in universities and degree colleges in the state.

Chief Minister Mayawati announced in the State Assembly yesterday the decision of the government to lift ban on the students' union elections. She also announced that the students' union elections would be held in accordance with the recommendations of the Lingdoh Committee.

Later, the chief minister told reporters that the State Government imposed the ban because there was anarchy in the degree colleges and post-graduate colleges and there was no rule of law on the universities' campus.

The chief minister disclosed that the elections should be held within six to seven weeks from the date of start of new session and only regular students would be allowed to take part in the elections. She added that a student contesting the polls could spend about Rs5,000 on the elections and has also fixed the limit of age to fight the polls. Only those students who have no criminal background can fight the polls, she added. If the contestants violate the set norms of the elections, their candidature might be cancelled, she said.

She pointed out that when her government had imposed the ban on the students' union election, the leader of the opposition in the Assembly, Mulayam Singh Yadav, dubbed this action as an attack on democracy. She rejected Yadav's accusation.