Jamia Millia Islamia is set to conduct student union elections for the first time in 20 years amid ongoing student protests demanding a clear timeline. The university administration has announced the elections will take place within 15 days of finalizing the student union constitution. Despite this announcement, some student groups continue their hunger strike, insisting on a fixed deadline for holding the polls.
History of Jamia Student Union Elections
Jamia Millia Islamia was established in 1920 at Aligarh before moving to Karol Bagh in 1925. The current Okhla campus was set up in 1935-36 and has operated there since. The university received central university status in 1988. The first student union election took place in 1981, electing Zubair Khan as president, Rizwan Ali Khani as vice president, Aftab Ahmed as general secretary, and Jalaluddin as joint secretary.
The student union elections continued for 12 years but were held inconsistently, with no election in 1990. In 1996, elections were officially banned. Reports say student union office bearers had begun interfering in university admissions, hostel seat allocations, and disciplinary matters, disrupting administrative functions. The administration decided to place a ban on student union polls to curb these issues.
The 2005 Elections and Subsequent Dissolution
Demand for reinstating student union elections persisted, leading to polls being conducted again in 2005 after a nine-year gap. A new union was elected in July 2005. However, less than a year later, on March 31, 2006, the union was dissolved, and elections were banned again.
The dissolution followed violent incidents on campus, with the administration citing unrest and disruption to students’ academics. According to media reports, the university remained closed for two days preceding the ban. Parliamentary replies in 2012 confirmed the union was dissolved after a series of violent acts, including an attack on the vice chancellor.
Since then, the student union has not been revived, and attempts by students to hold elections have been met with legal hurdles and administrative resistance. In 2017, the university replaced student union polls with departmental representative elections, which continue to this day.
The Last Student Union Leaders
The last student union election before the ban was in 2005, electing Shams Parvez as president. Currently, he serves as an assistant professor in the Geography department at Araria College under Purnia University in Bihar. Muhammad Faheem Haider Khan was elected vice president, Farhat Ali as general secretary, and Zille Subhani as joint secretary, though their current pursuits are not publicly known.
The reinstatement of student union elections after two decades could mark a new chapter in the university’s student politics. The ongoing student demands and administrative announcements indicate a potential revival, but the exact timeline remains under negotiation between the university and protesters.
