Leaving aside what an ideal educational atmosphere must be like, let us see what motivations drive the students who are after the prized posts.
One thing is clear: once a student is in the foray, the rest happens quite automatically. Politics in a democracy is all about imagery. Once the student accepts that he has to convince others that he is better than his opponents, all the evils of human nature are let loose. After that, there are clearly "enemies" to be fought against, and so, the strategies, the under-cover discussions, public protests, etc. start.
Politics is a very complex issue. Is there a need for politics in human affairs? In the current social setup, leadership as power has nothing to do with responsibility. A leader is chosen because threats are perceived and there is no consensus as to what is the right course of action. And if all decisions were to be based on consensus, it would be tedious.
But once the political set-up is in place, the presence of threats is almost taken for granted. It is overlooked that the political leaders become the prime threat themselves. Most of the political activity is getting the "best deal" for one's own community, and as such, it leads to segregation and hatred. And having the power over other people and things makes one gladdened and secure. The life, and welfare, of a leader is considered much more important than that of a common person. The feeling of being above the common is quite heady.
In today's India, the most visible threat to life and property is politics, at various levels in the society. Religion, bureaucracy, industry, education, all spheres of life are rife with feelings of ill-will and selfishness.
One could say that politics is just another expression of the human selfishness. It leads to far greater harm however, because of the far greater power this expression of selfishness has.
Again, power is usually equated with making decisions which affect the community widely. Since humans are mostly selfish, they choose a leader which will serve their own interests well (though even that is a rare occurence these days).
Might it be said that the democratic society deserves what it gets? The issue is complicated by hopelessness and the threat of violence in an immature democracy like India. To even get into the political foray demands too many compromises. A non-selfish person will never be chosen as the leader of a selfish society.
But an individual, who is unselfish, could be harmed by such a society. Crucifixtion is the extreme form of the alienation of such a society from a wise individual.