Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday announced that the state government will revive student union elections in colleges and universities, nearly four decades after they were banned, with the aim of encouraging leadership and democratic values among young people.
 
Presenting the state Budget for 2026–27 in the Assembly, Siddaramaiah said student union elections would be conducted to help students develop leadership skills, responsibility and a deeper understanding of democratic processes.
 
Student union polls had been banned in 1989 during the Congress government led by former Chief Minister Veerendra Patil after a series of violent clashes and incidents on college campuses that threatened the academic atmosphere.
 
The decision to revive the elections comes following the recommendation of an 11-member committee headed by Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash Patil. The committee was constituted in December 2025 to examine the modalities for resuming campus elections in the state.
 
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the idea to revive student elections had first been proposed by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during the Congress party’s plenary session a few months ago.
 
During the Budget presentation, the Chief Minister also announced that the government would enact a law named after Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at University of Hyderabad who died by suicide after alleging caste-based discrimination.
 
The proposed legislation aims to prevent caste-based atrocities against students across government, private and deemed universities in Karnataka and ensure a safer and more inclusive academic environment.