Student elections to be held after Maharashtra Assembly polls

State higher and technical education minister Vinod Tawde said the student council elections will be held after Assembly polls.

The Maharashtra government on Wednesday decided to postpone student council elections across colleges and universities, scheduled by September-end, to after the state Assembly elections.

Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray at the Trimbakeshwar Temple in Nashik on Saturday.

The decision comes after universities across the state declared election dates in their respective institutions.

State higher and technical education minister Vinod Tawde said the student council elections will be held after Assembly polls.

The state cabinet on Wednesday decided to amend the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016, empowering the government to postpone student council elections in case of an emergency or natural calamity. Until now, the state has no power to take any decision related to the rescheduling of student council elections. “With approval from the governor, the state government will soon issue an ordinance following which orders for postponing student council elections will also be issued,” Tawde said.

The state held deliberations with chief electoral officer Baldev Singh and state home secretary Sanjay Kumar on the issue. “Both were of the view that student elections would bring the unnecessary burden of election machinery and security forces that are busy preparing for the Assembly polls,” said Tawde.

The Maharashtra Universities Act, 1994, had replaced elections with nominations for student representative bodies in colleges and universities. Students were hand-picked by college and university authorities based on their academic track record.