The University of Calicut (CU) is planning to revamp the rules related to students’ union elections in its 445 affiliated colleges and the teaching departments on the main campus at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district.

Official sources say that this is in line with the recommendations of the J.M. Lyngdoh Committee appointed by the Union government two decades ago, which studied the conduct of students’ union polls in universities across the country. The reforms will be implemented during the elections scheduled for September/October this year. The last revision of election norms happened around 25 years ago, they say, adding that violent incidents are recurring during the elections and legal disputes have also become a norm.

The sources say that P. Raveendran, Vice-Chancellor (V-C), recently appointed a five-member committee to suggest recommendations in this regard. N. Mohammedali, director, College Development Council of the university, is its chairperson and K. Fazalurahman, Dean, Students’ Welfare, is the convener. A.M. Vinod Kumar, Preethi Kuttippulackal and Pramod Kovvapurath are the other members.

A section of officials alleges that students’ union elections are held in many affiliated colleges, violating university laws. The Department Students’ Union (DSU) elections on the university campus had to be cancelled last year following violence, they say.

The reforms are likely to focus on training students in democratic procedures. Separate unions could be proposed for research scholars and students. Institutions may get the freedom to choose a parliamentary or presidential form of elections. Strict monitoring of the election fund and the activities of the general students’ council could be proposed for those who prefer the parliamentary form.

Students’ organisations offer a mixed response to the move. The Students Federation of India (SFI) sees this as part of an attempt to capture power in the DSU on the main campus and to deny the voting rights of research scholars. Functionaries of the All-Kerala Research Scholars’ Association affiliated with the SFI say that a majority of the research scholars have always supported the organisation. Creating a separate union for them is an attempt to help the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) in the DSU election, they say.

However, MSF State acting president Sharafudeen Pilakkal says the university’s election bylaws are in dire need of reform. He claims that many colleges were not following them while conducting elections. Sanoj Kuruvattoor, KSU State general secretary, says that the college union polls should be held in a transparent manner. He claims that in many colleges, the democratic rights of the students are being sabotaged for many reasons. Mr. Sanooj also says that the university may think of creating a separate council to elect the representatives of research scholars.