New Delhi: A decade after the implementation of the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations on student union polls - which introduced age and expenditure curbs as well as attendance and disciplinary requirements, the Congress' National Students Union of India (NSUI) has proposed to set up an Independent Election Commission (IEC) under the EC to conduct these polls. While the Lyngdoh norms - opposed by Left groups of crippling the students movement - were ostensibly introduced to curb poll violence, the NSUI which had backed the norms is now on the same page as the Left.

"While the influence of money and muscle power has reduced, what we actually see is that most universities do not conduct elections and state governments through university administrations control student representatives.... We are calling for a body, under the EC, in which governments and administrations will have no stake. Disputes will have to be addressed in a time bound manner by Grievance Redressal Cells that are free from interference of vice-chancellors," NSUI president Fairoz Khan said.

The NSUI is planning to host two national conventions - one for student organisations and another for elected students union representatives - next March. "We want consultations with all students groups - including local and community based organisations - on the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations. Our demand is that elections in all institutions be compulsory and its members be directly elected by students, and not nominated by teachers. Only ballot paper or online voting be allowed, under the scrutiny of the IEC, and the use of EVMs be stopped. On the final day, we will invite young MPs, across party lines to ask them to introduce the resolution we pass as a private member bill."

He added: "We also demand a three tier Lok Adalat like system of Student Courts in every districts with appellate courts at the state and Supreme Court levels to resolve any dispute in a university-be it inflated fees, sexual harassment, electoral disputes or lack of campus placements.... Disputes like in JNU (sedition) last year, could be resolved by a Student Court rather than dragging students to jail."

The NSUI has also called for the voting age to be reduced to 16 and for the minimum age of a contestant to be reduced to 18 years of age. The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 by the 61st amendment in 1989, under the Rajiv Gandhi government. The current minimum age for contesting the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls is 25, and 30 for the Rajya Sabha.