SIO K’taka submits recommendations on Campus Elections, Urges Govt to reinstate student unions
Bengaluru: The Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) Karnataka has submitted a set of recommendations to the state government urging the reinstatement of student union elections across higher education institutions, citing the need to revive campus democracy and student representation.
The recommendations are based on a statewide survey conducted by SIO Karnataka across colleges and universities in the state to understand students’ views on campus elections. The survey, carried out through Google Forms, gathered responses from students studying in both government and private institutions, with a majority of respondents coming from private unaided colleges.
According to SIO Karnataka, the findings show that while many students recognise the importance of student union elections, their awareness of the legal framework, rules and structure governing such elections remains limited. The organisation said this underlines the need for awareness and sensitisation programmes before elections are conducted.
The survey found strong support among students for campus elections as a means to preserve a democratic atmosphere within educational institutions. Respondents viewed student unions as platforms that help develop leadership skills, promote accountability, and facilitate structured dialogue between students and college administrations. Students also called for clear, state-mandated guidelines to ensure that elections are conducted smoothly and remain free from violence, external interference and political misuse.
A large majority of respondents favoured imposing a cap on election expenditure, expressing concern that excessive spending could lead to conflict and disrupt the academic environment. Students stressed that campus politics should remain non-partisan, ethical and transparent, and should focus on student welfare rather than external political agendas.
SIO Karnataka noted that campus democracy in India has historically produced several prominent political leaders at the national and state levels, including Sitaram Yechury, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Arun Jaitley, Nirmala Sitharaman, M.K. Stalin, Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee, Ashok Gehlot and Prakash Karat. In Karnataka too, leaders such as D.K. Shivakumar, B.K. Hariprasad, K.R. Ramesh Kumar, Roshan Baig, Saleem Ahmed, N.A. Haris, Ramalinga Reddy, Shobha Karandlaje and Rizwan Arshad have emerged from student politics.
Welcoming recent remarks by Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in support of campus elections, Mohammed Hayyan, State Secretary of SIO Karnataka, reiterated the organisation’s long-standing demand for the restoration of student union elections in the state. He said such elections play a crucial role in nurturing political awareness, social responsibility and democratic values among students.
A delegation from SIO Karnataka submitted a memorandum outlining its recommendations to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Sharanaprakash Patil, and Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar. The delegation also met Congress MLC Rizwan Arshad at his residence.
The delegation included SIO Karnataka State President S. Adi Al Hasan, State Secretary Mohammed Hayyan and State Secretary Abubakar Siddique.
SIO Karnataka urged the government to update the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations to suit present-day realities, introduce campus elections initially in pilot mode, enforce expenditure limits, set age restrictions for candidates, and hold consultations with educationists, civil society groups and student organisations. The organisation said reinstating student union elections would help restore a democratic and inclusive environment across campuses in Karnataka.
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
