West Bengal may bring back student union polls in colleges next year

At an ABVP event in Kolkata, Suvendu Adhikari said student union elections across West Bengal could be held next year. The remark signals a possible revival of campus politics, though no formal schedule has been announced.Image used for representational purposes onlyKolkata,Oct 9, 2026 20:04 ISTWest Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday said student union elections in colleges and universities across the state could be held next year, raising the possibility of a return of campus polls that have remained suspended for several years. He made the remarks while speaking at an all-India conference of medical students organised by the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata.Adhikari said student elections were necessary and linked the issue to his own political journey. While he indicated a possible timeline, he did not announce any formal schedule or spell out how the polls would be conducted.Recalling his experience in campus politics, Adhikari said, "Elections should be held. We are all products of student politics. I reached this position by delivering speeches between classes during college elections." He said he had discussed the matter with the ABVP observer in charge of the state, who had urged him to hold the elections next year.Quoting the observer, Adhikari said, "He told me, 'hold the elections next year. The voices of every ABVP activist and nationalists will be heard chanting Vande Mataram in every college and university.'" His statement came on a day the BJP swept the assembly bypolls, defeating its rivals by a record margin in Nandigram and winning in Muslim-majority Rejinagar, consolidating its position five months after ending the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule in the state.Student union elections have remained suspended in West Bengal for several years. During the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC regime, the state had cited difficulties in holding campus polls after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Calcutta High Court had also ordered the dissolution of college and university student unions, and union rooms were locked in line with court directions. The issue has come up again after the change of government in the state. Earlier, Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay had also indicated that student union polls could be held and said the matter was under consideration by the new administration. The next steps, including any notification, eligibility rules and the framework for the elections, are yet to be announced.The proposed return of campus elections could carry wider political significance because student organisations have long played a role in shaping political leadership and mobilising support across Bengal's educational institutions. For decades, campus politics in the state was dominated first by Left groups and later by the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad. With the BJP now in power in the state, the ABVP is seeking to expand its presence on campuses.Adhikari also used the event to speak about ideological issues. Referring to what he described as "dimagi Naxals", slogans of "Azadi" and the political atmosphere at Jadavpur University, he said the Centre was extending assistance worth Rs 1,000 crore to JU to support its development as a Centre of Excellence.In a strongly worded part of his speech, Adhikari invoked Syama Prasad Mookerjee's legacy and Kashmir, saying, "Listen carefully: Kashmir, where Syama Prasad Mookerjee died, belongs to us. Communists, dimagi Naxals and anti-national forces must be systematically eliminated." Overall, his remarks combined a possible revival of student union elections next year with a broader political appeal to students, though the state government is yet to announce any formal plan for conducting the polls.- Ends