To pre-empt any such move, former chief minister Siddaramaiah has asked Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy not to remove Syndicate members at public universities, who were nominated by the previous Congress government.

“Our previous government has nominated academic experts from all categories as Syndicate/Executive Council members. You are requested not to change them and let them continue,” Siddaramaiah, also the Coalition Coordination and Monitoring Committee chairperson, wrote to Kumaraswamy in a letter dated July 7.

The Syndicate is the highest decision-making body at a university. The state government can nominate up to six “eminent educationists” to the Syndicate, including one belonging to the SCs/STs, one OBC, one woman and one from a religious minority. In the recent years, Syndicate nominations have gained notoriety for being political in nature.