TISS students protested the revised constitution ahead of February 6 elections, raising concerns that the shift from student union to council and stricter eligibility rules may weaken campus representation. The administration clarified the changes aim to regularize the process, requiring candidates to avoid political affiliations, maintain 75% attendance, and have no academic arrears.

Mumbai: Students uproar at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) campus has brought attention to the student body election set to take place on February 6, after a year-long gap, under a revised framework.

New Constitution

As the institution is set to undergo elections, TISS has changed the term from students union to students council, while also revising the student union’s constitution.

The undertaking released for the candidates, mentions that the candidate should not have any affiliation to political parties, political organisations or any student wings related to the parties. The students stated that the wordings are vague and that their candidature might be threatened on the basis of that, as students are usually associated with several collectives.

Eligibility Rules

The administration has clarified that it is a regular process that the students have to give an undertaking for no political affiliations. The candidates are also required to have minimum 75 percent attendance and no academic arrears. This is not to prevent any students from filing their nomination.

The students have protested against the changes, stating that they water-down the roles of students in decision making on the campus. The institution has revised the constitution of student representation on the campus, which has been tagged as ‘less empowered’.

Reduced Representation

The college earlier housed a student union comprising key executive positions such as president, vice-president along with a complete body. However, according to the new rules, the institution will have a council, with representatives of all the class and program along with committees for sports, culture, and mentorship. This has worried the students as their right for strong representation might be diluted.

The Progressive Students Forum (PSF) said that the administration is weakening student democracy and imposing a new system. The new constitution is claimed to be student-driven, but there is no clarity on which students were consulted during drafting.

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