On a weekday afternoon at a govt college in central Karnataka, the student notice board is crowded with circulars on examinations, scholarships and cultural events. What’s missing, however, are printed campaign posters, and hand-written appeals for votes or calls for debates that once defined campus life in the state. It has been nearly four decades now since college corridors in Karnataka have fallen quiet, and stopped reverberating with passionate chants from the student community either protesting or rallying over a myriad causes. Student union elections have remained banned across colleges and universities in Karnataka, which, some would argue, has left campuses politically subdued compared to earlier decades.The ban & a ‘talent crunch’That long silence may now be nearing an end — after nearly 37 years, the Congress govt in Karnataka has announced its plans to revive student union elections across the state’s colleges and universities, reopening a chapter that was abruptly closed in 1989. Faced with concerns over violence, politicisation and academic disruption, it was also a Congress govt led by chief minister Veerendra Patil that put an end to campus politics. When CM Patil announced the ban, it was meant to be a temporary measure, but it continued. Soon, nominated or advisory student councils replaced ‘politically’ elected unions. Though students could still raise issues related to fees, hostels and examination delays, formal representation weakened over time.But the ban and its aftermath have kept alive a debate touching on democracy, discipline and the role of educational institutions in shaping future political leadership. They have also kept the spotlight on the state’s once-vibrant student movements, their decline, and the political calculations surrounding a possible revival.The current Congress govt’s announcement to revive campus politics, which came as a surprise to many, was made at the behest of Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. “We need to tap young political talent. It is possible with campus elections,” says deputy CM D K Shivakumar.An EVM for campus pollsFor many in Karnataka, the govt’s attempts at reviving campus politics have stirred memories of a period when campuses were lively spaces of democratic practice. In 1982, students of MES College in Bengaluru queued up to vote in a student union election that would later enter the state’s electoral lore — electronic voting machines, then a novelty, were tested in the college election on a pilot basis. A year later, EVMs were introduced in assembly elections.At the time, universities were more than places for lectures and examinations. Institutions such as Mysore University, Karnatak University in Dharwad and Bangalore University were known for intense debates on land reforms, linguistic identity, social justice and reservation policies. Student unions functioned as representative bodies elected through regular polls, negotiating with the administration on hostels, scholarships, transport facilities and examination reforms.“Campus elections were our first lessons in democracy,” says MLC and govt chief whip in the Legislative Council Saleem Ahmed, a former student leader who later entered mainstream politics. “We learnt how to campaign without money, how to speak to people and how to accept defeat.”The 1970s and 1980sStudent politics in Karnataka during the 1960s and 1970s often mirrored broader social movements. While political parties maintained informal links with student groups, campuses also saw independent collectives focused on academic and welfare issues. For students from marginalised communities, unions provided an institutional platform to articulate concerns that might otherwise have gone unheard.By the late 1970s and early 1980s, however, the nature of campus politics began to shift. Student organisations affiliated with mainstream political parties grew stronger, and elections increasingly reflected state-level rivalries. Allegations of money power, external interference and the involvement of non-students became common. Ideological and caste-based divisions sharpened, occasionally erupting into violence.Rising through the ranksFor some big names in contemporary politics, campuses were the launchpad. Long before D K Shivakumar became deputy CM and president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, his political education began not in party offices or election war rooms, but in college corridors. At Sri Jagadguru Renukacharya College in the early 1980s, Shivakumar emerged as a visible student leader affiliated with the National Students Union of India (NSUI), at a time when campuses were active arenas of debate, mobilisation and electoral competition. That exposure, he has repeatedly said, gave him his first lessons in leadership, organisation and public engagement.A few kilometres away, and a decade earlier, B K Hariprasad, now a former AICC general secretary and MLC, began his political journey as a student activist at MES College, Bengaluru, in 1972. Rising through the ranks of student and youth organisations, Hariprasad went on to serve as vice-president of the All India Youth Congress, AICC general secretary and a four-term Rajya Sabha member. His work among backward classes and grassroots networks earned him recognition from senior Congress leaders, including Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi.Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy, an eight-time MLA, also rose from student activism as the secretary of the students’ union at Govt Science College in Bengaluru. He was also a member of the student council at Bangalore University. In 1977, he became the student union president at the university.Their trajectories — from student politics to the highest levels of party and govt — are now at the centre of a renewed policy debate in Karnataka. “I myself came up through campus politics. Being a student leader helped me in my political career,” Shivakumar says. “Student elections are essential to nurture young political talent.”Feasibility & other questionsTo examine the framework, feasibility and implications of reintroducing campus polls, the govt has constituted a high-level 11-member committee. Medical education minister Sharanprakash Patil has been appointed convener. The panel includes higher education minister Dr M C Sudhakar, MLAs Rizwan Arshad and B Shivanna, MLCs Saleem Ahmed, Basanagouda Badarli and Puttanna, Karnataka Youth Congress president H S Manjunath and NSUI president Keerthi Ganesh.The committee has been asked to submit its report within 15 days, Shivakumar said in a letter dated Dec 27. Among the questions before it are whether student elections should be conducted under political party banners or in a non-political format, and whether reservations should be extended to women, OBCs, SC/STs and students with disabilities.Retired academic Bandu Upadhya, who worked as college principal during some of the tumultuous years of campus politics, recalls the atmosphere then vividly. “Candidates were openly sponsored by political parties. There were sharp divisions among students, frequent arguments and sometimes clashes. Anti-social elements also entered campuses,” he says.Academic calendars used to be frequently disrupted, police presence during campus elections became routine, and administrators struggled to maintain order. In 1989, under the Congress govt headed by the then CM Veerendra Patil, student union elections were banned across Karnataka.Arguing for & against the banWhat was initially described as a temporary measure became an entrenched policy. Elected student bodies were dismantled and replaced with nominated or advisory councils. Over time, student participation in institutional governance became largely symbolic. Generations of students passed through colleges without ever voting for a class representative, let alone a union president.Supporters of the ban argue that it brought in stability. “After the ban, there were fewer disruptions, and academic schedules became predictable,” says a former university administrator.Critics counter that the silence came at a cost. “Banning student elections reflects a lack of trust in our youth,” says Ravindra Reshme, political commentator and former president of the Federation of Karnataka University and College Teachers’ Association. “It denies students practical democratic training.”Despite the ban, political engagement did not disappear from campuses. Students continued to organise protests around issues such as fee hikes, delays in examinations, hostel facilities and reservation policies. Political parties maintained informal networks among students, particularly during state and national elections. But these activities lacked the structure, accountability and continuity of elected unions.In some private and autonomous institutions, limited forms of student councils were permitted, largely restricted to cultural activities and kept formally non-political.Student organisations remain divided on the issue. “Campus elections are the first exposure many students get to democracy,” says Adarsh M, an NSUI office-bearer from Bangalore University. “Elections help identify leaders early and train them in accountability, debate and organisation.”AISF activist Srinath Rao says elected unions provided students from marginalised backgrounds with a legitimate platform. “Without elections, representation becomes symbolic and dominated by nominations,” he said.Campus Front member Mohammed Sajid argues that student polls are about participation beyond party politics. “Even non-party students benefit when administrations are forced to listen to elected representatives,” he says.The ABVP expresses some reservations. “Campuses exist primarily for academics,” points out Mahendra K, an ABVP functionary. “We have already seen that in the past, elections often led to disruptions, violence and outside interference. Reviving them without strict safeguards will harm students’ academic interests.”SFI leader Bharath Krishna raises concerns about political influence. “There is a danger that campus elections will become extensions of ruling party politics,” he warns, calling for strict enforcement of expenditure limits and prevention of external interference.Political observers say the Congress govt’s move is also driven by organisational considerations. “Unlike the BJP, which has the RSS as a pipeline, the Congress lacks institutional channels to groom grassroots leadership,” says political strategist Vishwas Shetty. “Campus elections offer one such route.”Political analyst M N Patil points to a brighter side of campus politics. “Student leaders learn how to organise, strategise and question authority. In their absence, democracy becomes transactional,” he says.Opposition parties have reacted cautiously. BJP leaders have warned against politicising educational institutions. “Colleges should focus on academics,” senior BJP MLA and deputy opposition leader in the legislative assembly Aravind Bellad has said. “If elections are revived, there must be strict safeguards.” The JD(S), meanwhile, has taken a more nuanced position. “Student movements have shaped leaders across parties, but campuses should not become battlegrounds,” a party functionary has said when contacted.