Student union polls to be held without caste quota, but with reserved seats for women from this academic year in Karnataka
Karnataka is reviving student union elections for the 2026-2027 academic year after a decades-long ban, with specific reserved seats for women. The government has explicitly prohibited caste-based quotas and political party affiliation for candidates.
Why it matters
The move aims to foster democratic leadership among students while attempting to insulate campus politics from broader political and caste-based divisions.
Elections to student unions in colleges and universities in Karnataka, which had been banned over two decades ago, will be revived from this academic year to train students for leadership roles and uphold democratic values.
Except for reservation for women, the union elections will not have any other quota, including caste-based reservation. The students will have the final say on holding the elections even if managements are opposed to it, said Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, after a Cabinet meeting that cleared it.
“The student union elections had been banned for some reason, and it will be revived from the 2026-2027 academic year. We do not want to promote caste-based reservation among students,” he announced.
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