Uttar Pradesh: Once breeding ground for future leaders, CCSU now awaits student elections – Times of India

MEERUT: Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU), the second-largest university in Uttar Pradesh, and its affiliated colleges have not held a single student union election since 2017. Moreover, the university established a student council consisting of 15 students from various departments for the 2022–23 session during the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation process.
In response to an RTI inquiry, the university explained that it would act on the matter of student elections once it received guidelines from the government.
Incidentally, CCSU has a history of producing student leaders who have gone on to become prime ministers and governors. Chaudhary Charan Singh, a former Prime Minister, attended Meerut College, while Satya Pal Malik, a former governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Goa and Bihar and a former Member of Parliament from Aligarh and Uttar Pradesh, is an alumnus of CCSU.
Speaking to TOI, Malik said, “Delay in student elections is meant to suppress the power of students. The council doesn’t have any jurisdiction over the concerns of students.” He added that a full-fledged union elected by the students is a must to redress the problems of lakhs of students.
Somendra Tomar, the current minister of state for power in the Uttar Pradesh government and a former student leader at CCSU, denied that the government has imposed restrictions on conducting elections. He said that universities are free to hold elections at any time. He also acknowledged that student unions are a breeding ground for future political leaders.
On the other hand, students feel that the university is more focused on penalising student leaders than on nurturing future leaders. “Varsity doesn’t want us to protect our rights. It’s at the university that a student begins his journey into politics. But that environment is no longer provided,” student leader Shan Mohammad said.
Another student leader, Akshay Baisla, said, “Officials at varsity fear that the loopholes in their work will be exposed if students form a union. Which is why they frame student leaders in fake cases.” “Members of the student council are unaware of politics and usually don’t interact with the students,” he added.
Amit Singh Nayal, president of the Student Council, said, “We are accountable for the campus only, which comprises approximately 4800 students. We don’t have a student help desk on campus, and if any student wants to file a general complaint, then they will directly go to either the Proctorial Board or the Dean Welfare Student (DSW), as we are working under DSW.”
“Despite these challenges, CCSU is implementing measures to address the concerns of students, particularly those from affiliated colleges. Initiatives such as e-portals for degree delivery are aimed at improving services for students,” Nayal added.