UP govt lifts ban on students union polls

Lucknow, Mar 5 (UNI) Conceding the long pending demand of the Samajwadi Party, the Uttar Pradesh government today revoked the ban on students union elections banned after Mayawati came to power in the state in May.

''The election in state universities and degree colleges would take place from the next academic session,'' Chief Minister Mayawati told the state assembly here.

In her suo moto statement in the House, she said the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee in this regard would be taken into account subject to certain changes in the limit of expenditure on the polls.

The SP, the main opposition party in the assembly, had been agitating in support of restoration of students union elections and its protests turned violent at many places on January 9 claiming a life in the police firing in Etawah.

Ms Mayawati said the conditions involved in the process of elections included the upper limit of expenditure being fixed at Rs 5000 as against the Lyngdoh committee's recommendation to keep it maximum at Rs 20,000.

She said the upper age limit for students seeking elections would be 22 years for graduation level students while it would be 24 years and 28 years for post-graduate and research scholors of the university and degree colleges respectively. Also, those students who had criminal cases against them would not be allowed to contest elections.

The decision of the state government immediately came in praise from the SP whose senior leader Mohd Azam Khan hailed it, saying it would be in the inetrest of the democratic norms.

UNI MB/SB KD RAI1347