Pune students demand ballot paper voting, transparency in student election consultation

Students and several student organisations in Pune have demanded that the student election process be transparent, free of political interference, and that voting be held on ballot paper instead of online.

Only two of the 12 members of the committee appointed for the student elections were present at the meeting called in this connection. Dr Rahul Sasane objected that very little time was given for the meeting, so many students could not put forward their views.

A dialogue on student council elections was held on Saturday, October 17, at the Geology Department auditorium of Savitribai Phule Pune University. The invitation was for all concerned, including students of autonomous colleges, recognised institutions and departments affiliated to the university, student organisations, and office-bearers and members of principals' and teachers' organisations. Committee member and Dean Dr Prabhakar Desai, Dr Sanjay Kharat, principal of Modern College, Ganeshkhind, Pune, and representatives of several student organisations were present.

Sasane said ordinary students from villages and rural areas should also get an equal chance in student elections. Organisations of political parties and the heads of educational institutions and colleges should not influence the election process, he said, and the process must be transparent so that those who run institutions do not sway the voting to get their preferred representatives elected.

Sasane also raised questions about how the meeting was organised. According to him, the circular for the committee meeting was issued a day earlier and the meeting was held the very next day. Students did not get enough time to reach it, and as a result many students from the Ahilyanagar and Nashik areas could not attend. He also said that representatives of only a few organisations were mostly present. Students were heard, but there was no official video or audio recording of the meeting.

Sasane said the views of all concerned could not be put across effectively, so the meeting did not achieve its purpose. He demanded that the meeting be called again with proper advance notice and publicity, that all concerned students, including those from Ahilyanagar and Nashik, be informed, that all committee members attend, and that the entire meeting be video-recorded.

Abhishek Shelkar, president of the Vidyapeeth Vidyarthi Sangharsh Kruti Samiti, Pune University, said: "Sufficient advance notice was not given for the student dialogue meeting held on October 17, 2026, so not all student groups could take part. The questions and suggestions were also not properly minuted or recorded. For SC, ST, OBC, minority, women, disabled and LGBTQIA+ groups to get fair representation in student elections, vertical-horizontal reservation and geographical representation are necessary. Otherwise the representation of marginalised groups will remain limited and there is a fear that social injustice will continue."

Nikita Mechkar, a representative of the SFI, said: "There should be clear rules on the eligibility of students linked to serious criminal cases in student elections. Large-scale public awareness is also necessary to increase students' participation in the democratic process."

Student Pratiksha Navale said: "Before deciding on holding student elections in the state's universities and colleges, the committee should directly study the student election process at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University (DU). Decisions should be taken in line with local conditions after understanding their experience and methods."