BHU students march for union polls after 30 years without an elected body
By TUF News Desk · Published 29 October 2026 · 4 min read
Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy
Students at Banaras Hindu University marched from Vishwanath Temple to the Students’ Union Building on October 28 with a demand that has gone unanswered for three decades: an elected students’ union of their own. The march was organised jointly by the National Students’ Union of India, the All India Students’ Association, Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha and DISHA. BHU has had no functioning elected union since the mid-1990s. The last full election was held in 1996, and the union was dissolved in February 1997 after campus violence. A student council introduced in 2011-12 lasted only a year before it was discontinued, and another council announced in 2014 was never elected.
A memorandum first, then the march
The march did not come out of nowhere. On October 22, student organisations submitted a memorandum to the Dean of Students asking for the restoration of union elections and a clear, time-bound schedule for holding them. They also asked that elections follow the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, the set of guidelines that governs student union polls in Indian universities.
Until an elected body exists, the memorandum proposed an interim step: a committee of student representatives and administrators to deal with immediate campus issues. That proposal matters to the students because, in their account, there is currently no common platform through which they can raise concerns with the administration and get a timely response.
The memorandum also listed everyday grievances: internet and Wi-Fi access, library facilities and timings, and women’s safety, with security arrangements in women’s hostels described as inadequate.
Roshan Pandey, an All India Students’ Association member and PhD scholar in sociology at BHU, said the organisations had submitted the memorandum about a week before the march and had received no response. He said the groups would decide their next steps based on the response to the march. Vivek Rajput, an MA History student and National Students’ Union of India member, said earlier attempts to revive the union had failed, but the organisations intended to keep pressing the demand this time.
Why BHU students are marching now
The timing is deliberate. Student union campaigns at other campuses have produced results in recent weeks, and BHU students have watched them closely.
At Aligarh Muslim University, the administration announced students’ union elections for November 5 after a 20-day protest over delays in holding polls. At Jamia Millia Islamia, students have pressed for the restoration of a union dissolved in 2006, and the university has agreed to hold elections within 15 days of approving the union’s constitution, although protesters there still want a fixed election date. At Jawaharlal Nehru University, the students’ union called off a 17-day protest on October 20 after the administration agreed to revoke the rustication of five office-bearers. In Karnataka, the state government issued an order in September to revive student union elections after a gap of around 37 years.
None of those cases settles the BHU question. The university has not, in the coverage so far, announced an election date or responded publicly to the October 22 memorandum. The march puts BHU into the same conversation.
Students comparing campuses can read our guide to choosing a university in India, and the official Banaras Hindu University website carries the university’s own notices.
Frequently asked questions
When was the last elected students’ union at BHU?
The last full students’ union election at BHU was held in 1996. The union was dissolved in February 1997 after campus violence.
What did BHU students demand on October 28?
They demanded the restoration of students’ union elections, a time-bound schedule for holding them, and elections in line with the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations.
What did the October 22 memorandum to BHU ask for in the meantime?
It asked for a student-administration committee to take up immediate campus concerns until an elected union is in place.
Have other universities recently moved on student union polls?
Aligarh Muslim University has announced elections for November 5, and Jamia Millia Islamia has said polls will follow approval of its union constitution. BHU students point to both cases.
Frequently asked questions
When was the last elected students' union at BHU?
The last full students' union election at BHU was held in 1996. The union was dissolved in February 1997 after campus violence.
What did BHU students demand on October 28?
They demanded the restoration of students' union elections, a time-bound schedule for holding them, and elections in line with the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations.
What did the October 22 memorandum to BHU ask for in the meantime?
It asked for a student-administration committee to take up immediate campus concerns until an elected union is in place.
Have other universities recently moved on student union polls?
Aligarh Muslim University has announced elections for November 5, and Jamia Millia Islamia has said polls will follow approval of its union constitution. BHU students point to both cases.
Sources: Careers360, The Times of India, Jagran Josh