Intensifying Protests: Why Fear Student Elections? Gehlot Challenges CM Bhajanlal

Jaipur- Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has sharply questioned Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma over the prolonged delay in resuming student union elections in Rajasthan, accusing the BJP government of stifling youth voices.

During a meeting with a delegation from the All Rajasthan Student Union Election Struggle Committee at his Jaipur residence on July 24, Gehlot met student leaders who voiced frustration over the suspension of elections since December 2023. Addressing the delegation, Gehlot emphasized that student union elections are crucial for nurturing future leaders, citing his own tenure when his Congress government revived elections in 2010 after a BJP-imposed ban from 2003-2008 and again in 2022 post-COVID disruptions.

In a fiery post on X, Gehlot challenged the BJP’s reluctance, stating, “If you talk of a five-year mandate versus our one-and-a-half years, why fear student elections? When all organizations want it, what is the problem in holding student union elections? It’s a small matter!"

He urged students to intensify protests to compel the government to act, promising to personally write to CM Sharma to demand answers. Gehlot highlighted the democratic importance of campus elections, noting that leaders like Arun Jaitley and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat emerged from student politics, and stressed that elected student leaders often excel in public life due to their grassroots experience.

The suspension, initially attributed to the 2023 assembly elections and the New Education Policy’s implementation, has not been lifted despite being listed in the Higher Education Department’s 2024-25 calendar, sparking widespread protests, including a major demonstration at Rajasthan University on July 26, and an NSUI-led rally at Shaheed Smarak on August 5, backed by Congress leader Sachin Pilot.

Despite protests from both NSUI and ABVP, the elections remain suspended. NSUI’s state president, Abhishek Choudhary, called student elections the “first school of democracy,” while ABVP’s Hushyar Meena labeled the suspension a “democratic subversion.”

Gehlot’s pointed criticism also highlights the growing unrest among students, who see the delay as an attempt to curb their political engagement, making it a critical issue in Rajasthan’s political discourse.