Dakshina Kannada: Discussions and deliberations mark virtual Youth Parliament

Media Release

October 29, 2020

Mangalore Oct 28: Heated discussions on prevalent issues, strong rebuttals, house procedures, and deliberations marked the Dakshina Kannada District Youth Parliament held on a virtual platform on Wednesday. The event was organized by Nehru Yuva Kendra under the aeges of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and UN Volunteers India, with a city-based NGO Centre for Integrated Learning as the technical partner.

Inaugurating the virtual program, Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada, Dr. Rajendra K V exhorted the students to utilise such opportunities to groom themselves as a better citizenry. These activities will go a long way in inculcating and realizing the roles and responsibilities of individuals in safeguarding the secular and democratic fabric of our constitution, he stated.

The Youth Parliament is a structured Simulation for educating the students on the functioning of our Parliamentary system. It makes the youth to realize their roles and responsibilities as citizens of this largest democracy, opined Atul J Nikam State Director, NYKS, Karnataka.

Speaking on the occasion, Debjani Samantaray, National Project Manager for Strengthening NYKS & NSS which is a Joint Project of Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, UNV and UNDP, called on the participants to internalize the tenets of our constitution and the democratic process involved in the governance of our country. She said that these platforms provided an opportunity to Channelise the energy and enthusiasm of the youth for positive purposes.

Dr. Selvamani R, CEO, Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayath, Jain George, Deputy State Director, NYKS Karnataka among others were present on the occasion. Convener of Centre for Integrated Learning, Srinivasan Nandagopal highlighted the process of the conduct of the Youth Parliament while Raghuveer Souterpete, UNV, District Youth Coordinator, Nehru Yuva Kendra Mangalore, conducted the virtual inauguration of the event.

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Campus politics: DKS pushes to restore student elections in Karnataka banned since 1989

News Network

November 26,2025

Bengaluru, Nov 26: Karnataka is taking its first concrete steps towards lifting a three-decade-old ban on student elections in colleges and universities. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced Wednesday that the state government will form a small committee to study the reintroduction of campus polls, a practice halted in 1989 following incidents of violence.

Speaking at a 'Constitution Day' event organised by the Karnataka Congress, Mr. Shivakumar underscored the move's aim: nurturing new political leadership from the grassroots.

"Recently, (Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to me and Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) asking us to think about restarting student elections," Shivakumar stated. "I'm announcing today that we'll form a small committee and seek a report on this."

Student elections were banned in Karnataka in 1989, largely due to concerns over violence and the infiltration of political party affiliates into campus life. The ban effectively extinguished vibrant student bodies and the pipeline of young leaders they often produced.

Mr. Shivakumar, who also serves as the Karnataka Congress president, said that former student leaders will be consulted to "study the pros and cons" of the re-introduction.

Acknowledging the history of the ban, he added, "There were many criminal activities taking place back then. We’ll see how we can conduct (student) elections by regulating such criminal activities."

The Deputy CM reminisced about his own journey, which began on campus. He recalled his political activism at Sri Jagadguru Renukacharya College leading to his first Assembly ticket in 1985 at the age of 23. "That's how student leadership was at the time. Such leadership has gone today. College elections have stopped," he lamented, adding that for many, college elections were "like a big movement" where leaders were forged.

The move, driven by the Congress high command's push to cultivate young talent, will face scrutiny from academics and university authorities who have, in the past, expressed concern that the return of polls could disrupt the peaceful academic environment and turn campuses into political battlegrounds.

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