Focusing on coming Parliamentary and Assembly elections in Haryana, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday announced to hold students’ unions’ elections in universities and colleges.

By announcing this, the Khattar government has not only revoked over 21-year-old ban on student bodies elections in universities and colleges campuses, but also fulfilled the promises made by the ruling party in its election manifesto for 2014 Assembly polls in Haryana.

CM said on Monday that student union elections would be conducted in the next academic session 2018-19 that is by September 2018.

The Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to CM, Bhupinder said that Khattar has taken this decision in view of the promise of the state government made in the election manifesto and following various meetings and discussions held on this subject with different student organisations in the past.

Sources within the BJP revealed that the decision has been taken with an aim to woo the youths for the LokSabha and VidhanSabhaelections, that is expected to be held simultaneously in Haryana, next year.

As per the information with the Haryana Higher Education Department, There are as many as 20 universities there in the state including Central, state and private.

Prominent among these are Central University of Haryana, Kurukshetra University, Maharshi Dayanand University, Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Chaudhary Ranbir Singh University, Chaudhary Bansi Lal University, Amity University, National Law University, OP Jindal Global University and Maharishi Markendeshwar University.

Further, under the Higher Education Department there are 704 colleges inclusive of 95 government and 97 government aided colleges in the state. Out of 95 government colleges 24 are exclusively for girls. There are approximately 5.41 lakh students pursuing higher education in these colleges and universities.

Apart from, the ruling BJP, the other political parties in Haryana, including the principal Opposition party, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Congress party have been advocating for conducting of students elections in the state.

Even during last week, the INLD’s student wing, the Indian National Students Organisation (INSO) chief DigvijayChautala along with some other students began an indefinite hunger strike at Guru Jambheswar University, Hisar to press for demand of students’ unions election in colleges and universities of Haryana.

The elections to the student bodies were banned by the then CM, BansiLal, in 1996 in view of the unruly and violent behaviour of some students group at that time.