AFTER a delay of over a year, the Student Council elections will return to the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai campus. However, the elections will be held under a significantly revised framework, which has caused unrest among sections of the student community. Meanwhile, the institute administration said the revised framework was prepared after consultations with students and concerns can still be raised with the Office of Student Affairs.
According to an email distributed by the Office of Student Affairs, elections for the Student Council will take place on February 6, 2026. “Elections will be held in a decentralized manner, program-wise. The election process will take place within individual classrooms. From each program, one third and fourth year student will be elected as members of the council. The elected members will represent their respective classes and will actively participate in academic activities, co-curricular and extracurricular programs focused on the students of the institute,” the announcement email said, adding that students interested in competing must submit their nominations online between January 27 and 29, 2026.
Earlier this month, the institute published a revised Student Council Constitution, which will replace the previous Student Union model. In addition to introducing decentralized elections, the new framework introduces several administrative changes. After the then TISS Student Union was dissolved in 2024, a new official student body was not formed because the institute decided to revise the framework.
Under the revised structure, in addition to the elected representatives, the Dean of the Doctoral Student Office will nominate two PhDs. Elected council members will also be nominated for various committees, such as financial management, cultural, sports and literary committees. The Office of Student Affairs may also ask members, including those who are not elected, to join committees that lack adequate representation. Under the revised framework, all committees are mandated to operate in consultation with the Office of Student Affairs.
These provisions have emerged as key points of objection for students opposed to the revised framework. One of the student collectives on campus, the Progressive Student Forum (PSF), has issued a public statement opposing the framework, stating that the enhanced role of the Office of Student Affairs concentrates authority in the administration rather than elected representatives, amounting to a dilution of representative powers. The students have also alleged that the president and secretary of the council are no longer allowed to participate in important bodies of the institute where issues such as fee structure and syllabus are discussed, a provision that existed in the previous union statutes.
The TISS administration, however, has maintained that the framework remains open to comments. “But instead, they issued a public statement,” an administration official said, adding that the revised framework was prepared in consultation with all stakeholders. “The institute has maintained complete transparency in preparing the revised framework. It has been circulated among all teachers and students for suggestions. The idea is to ensure a transparent student council focused on the welfare of students,” the official added.