Gurugram: Student elections are all set to be held in Gurugram after a gap of 22 years. The elections are expected to be held on October 15. There is a possibility that counting will begin on the same day itself.
The city holds the key as there are not only a sizeable number of students studying in the colleges but proximity to national Capital also makes the elections politically significant. The elections will be held just a few months before the Lok Sabha elections which will then be followed by the Assembly elections in Haryana. There are 12 colleges in the Gurugram city itself.
The major challenges plaguing the city colleges have been a shortage of courses, security of girl students and poor infrastructure. Even as Gururgam is the richest district in the state as far as the higher education is concerned there is nothing which the government can boast of. Owing to proximity to Delhi, most of the students in Gurugram still look at Delhi University (DU) as their first preference even if they are unable to get admission to the top colleges of the DU's North Campus.
Most of the other students prefer going to the University of Rohtak and Kurukshetra that still have a greater reputation. Taking cognisance of the poor quality of higher education in the city, the Haryana government is planning to set up a university and a medical college in Gurugram. The situation does not look bright even for other areas in the district like Farrukhnagar, Pataudi and Sohna.
In a state where there have been no student elections since 1996 due to large-scale violence, it is going to be a challenge to hold such the elections. The challenge can be gauged from the example of Gurugram college where the clash between two student groups last year took two days to resolve.
There are a total of 18 universities and a five lakh students in the state. "The state is all set to hold the elections after 22 years. The elections will be held on the recommendation of Professor Tankeshwar," said education minister of Haryana Ram Bilas Sharma.