The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration has said that the student body election will be held in January next year after the completion of the PhD admission process.
The JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) election has not been held since 2019, as the last three polls were cancelled due to pandemic-related restrictions. Students have been demanding that this year’s election be held at the earliest.
A university official said, “We are not against holding the students’ union election, but we have to follow the due process laid down by the Lyngdoh Committee. The election can be held only after the PhD admissions are completed.”
However, the students argue that according to the committee’s recommendations, elections to student bodies in universities need to be held annually between six to eight weeks from the date of commencement of each academic session. The 2023-24 academic session in JNU commenced on August 16.
General body meeting
The candidates who were elected to the JNUSU in 2019 had last month conducted a general body meeting (GBM), where a resolution was passed stating that those who won the poll four years ago would continue to represent the students for the next six months or till the next JNUSU election is conducted.
However, sources in the JNU administration said that the university may seek legal opinion before conducting the next election. “As far as the administration is concerned, there is currently no JNUSU,” an official said.
During the GBM, students had also released a statement condemning the administration for excluding student representatives from bodies concerning their welfare and from the decision-making process.
“The administration’s move to delay the democratic legacy of JNU seeks to suppress the collective will of the student community,” the students said.
The JNUSU election is known for its fierce political campaigns and debates, where candidates often raise issues that go beyond the campus.
