Admissions to Delhi University’s Bachelor’s degree programmes see fierce competition every year, with college “cut-offs" touching 99% and other such scary figures year after year. A cut-off refers to a student’s average marks obtained in higher secondary exams—the precise level below which applying for admission is deemed futile. It is also a mark of prestige, not just for a college, but also for the subject that hits the news as having the highest cut-off for admission to an Honours programme. For several years, Economics reigned supreme. This was explained as a vast interest among youngsters in the dismal science, though perhaps their real interest was in leading lives that would be anything but dismal. Last year, English emerged the winner. On current trends, this year could belong to Political Science.

Attaining the highest cut-off level is seen as a sign of robust demand for that particular subject. By and large, this is true. The greater the interest expressed by students in a subject, the higher the cut-off for admission. But what explains the surge in students opting for Political Science as their top preference? On the face of it, it is easy to explain. On anecdotal evidence, politics in India has begun to attract frenzied interest among the youth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic win at the hustings may have something to do with this. On the other hand, there is always the possibility that a scramble for seats in any given year is influenced by the scramble reported the previous year. If Economics cut-offs acquire infamy as unachievable one year, students might go rushing to English the next. If demand for English bids up cut-offs, it sends admission seekers clamouring for something else—say, Political Science. If this is so, then it amounts to a market failure of sorts. But if it’s a genuine spike in interest for the study of how we govern ourselves, perhaps we can hope for greater political awareness among post-millennials.

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