If the Trinamool Congress returns to power in the 2026 Assembly elections, Kolkata could get another government-aided state university. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Jogamaya Devi College on the afternoon of Saraswati Puja, where a proposal for a new university was verbally placed before her.
During the visit, Manas Kabi, principal of the adjacent Asutosh College, proposed the formation of a separate university by bringing together Asutosh College, Jogamaya Devi College and Shyamaprasad College. Apurba Chakraborty, principal of Shyamaprasad College, was also present at the time. Both principals said the Chief Minister gave her preliminary consent to the idea.
However, with Assembly elections approaching, full-fledged legislative sessions are not being held at present. According to Nabanna sources, only a vote on account will be presented in the Assembly in early February. The Chief Minister assured the principals that the matter would be taken up after the elections, and that the process of forming the university could begin in the next Assembly session if conditions permit.
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The principals clarified that even if the university is formed, the three colleges should continue to exist as constituent colleges under University Grants Commission rules.
Manas said in the evening, "Asutosh Group of Colleges is a century-old educational institution. The Chief Minister is also an alumna of our group of colleges. She thinks about us. On this very day, we have sent a proposal regarding forming a university combining the three colleges to the Chief Minister. It was our long-standing demand. Since she is our alumna, we had said to give the university as a gift, combining the three colleges. She is also the guardian of the state."
The principals plan to submit a written proposal through Kajari Banerjee, president of Jogamaya Devi College’s governing body. They have already been advised to proceed in this manner.
This is not the first time such a proposal has been raised. A similar plan was discussed in 2018–19, when the Chief Minister had reportedly agreed in principle. However, the proposal was never formally sent to Nabanna. The idea has since been revised over the past one and a half years.
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The name of the proposed university has been left to the Chief Minister’s discretion.
According to Apurba Chakraborty, principal of Shyamaprasad College, "Asutosh, Jogamaya Devi and Shyamaprasad College, are one family. We got the Chief Minister close to us during the festival. That is a message for our students. All three college principals have signed the proposal to form a university together. This is a great achievement."
Among the 31 government universities in the state, the metropolis currently has Calcutta, Jadavpur, Rabindra Bharati and Presidency universities, alongside Sanskrit College & University. In higher education this year, not even one-third of the seats have been filled out of nine and a half lakh seats. Even then, if a new university is formed in the heart of South Kolkata while preserving the existence of three colleges, will it be possible to get students?
The education community is also raising this question. However, Manas and others claim that conventional subjects or courses like Bengali, English, Philosophy, Mathematics, Physics and Commerce will not offer Master's degrees in the proposed university. Modern, employment-oriented and universal course-compatible syllabi will be prepared accordingly.
