TISS Mumbai Announces Student Council Elections After Year-Long Pause
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai campus is set to hold Students' Council elections on February 6, 2026, marking the return of student representation after a gap of over a year. The elections will proceed under a significantly revised framework that introduces a decentralized, program-wise voting model, replacing the previous Students' Union structure that was dissolved in 2024.
New Election Framework and Process Details
According to an official announcement from the Office of Students Affairs, the upcoming elections will follow a decentralized approach where voting will be conducted within individual classrooms. Each academic program will elect one junior and one senior student as council members. These elected representatives will be responsible for representing their respective classes and actively participating in student-centric academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities at the institute.
The nomination process for interested candidates opened on January 27, 2026, and will close on January 29, 2026, with submissions required to be made online. This marks a departure from previous election procedures and is part of the newly introduced Students' Council Constitution that aims to reshape student governance at TISS Mumbai.
Key Changes in the Revised Structure
The revised framework introduces several administrative changes beyond the decentralized election model. Under the new structure, two PhD scholars will be nominated by the Dean of the Doctoral Students Office to join the council alongside elected representatives. Additionally, elected council members will be nominated to various institutional committees, including those overseeing financial management, cultural activities, sports, and literary programs.
A notable provision allows the Office of Students Affairs to request both elected and non-elected students to join committees that lack adequate representation. Furthermore, all committees are mandated to function in consultation with the Office of Students Affairs, a requirement that has become a focal point of student concerns.
Student Concerns and Opposition
The revised framework has triggered unease among sections of the student community, with several student groups expressing reservations about the enhanced administrative role. The Progressive Students Forum (PSF), a student collective on campus, has issued a public statement opposing the new framework, arguing that it concentrates authority with the administration rather than elected student representatives.
Students have raised specific objections regarding the perceived dilution of representative powers. They allege that under the revised constitution, the council president and secretary are no longer permitted to participate in important institute bodies where critical issues such as fee structures and curriculum development are discussed—a provision that existed under the previous union constitution.
Administration's Response and Transparency Claims
The TISS administration has maintained that the revised framework was developed after consultations with all stakeholders and remains open to feedback. An official from the administration stated that the institute has maintained complete transparency throughout the process, circulating the revised framework among all teachers and students for suggestions before implementation.
"The idea is to ensure a transparent, student-welfare-centric students council," the official added, expressing disappointment that some student groups chose to issue public statements rather than engage directly with the administration through established feedback channels. The administration emphasizes that concerns can still be raised with the Office of Students Affairs, which continues to welcome student input on the new governance structure.
The return of student elections at TISS Mumbai comes after careful deliberation and framework revision, with both the administration and student groups navigating the balance between effective governance and meaningful student representation in one of India's premier social sciences institutions.
