BESTIN VARKEY

Dynamic Ph.D. holder in Public Administration and Policy Studies with a robust academic and research foundation. Authored eight publications and presented research at numerous national and international conferences, demonstrating a commitment to advancing knowledge in the field. Expertise in academic coordination as a student coordinator for various college and university seminars, fostering collaboration and engagement among peers. Previous roles include Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at St. Mary’s College, Puthanangadi, and Guest Lecturer at Nirmala College, Muvattupuzha, reflecting a strong dedication to education and mentorship.

• Attended and Presented a Paper titled “Challenges to Kerala Model of Development” in One Day National Seminar on “Kerala Society in the 21st Century” organized by the Department of International Relations, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod held on 25th November, 2014.
• Attended and Presented a Paper titled “Voting Behaviour in India: A Study with Special Reference to NOTA” in National Seminar on “Changing Behaviour of Electorate: Dilemma of Political Parties in India Today” organized by the Department of Political Science, Government College, Nedumangadu, Thiruvananthapuram held on 10th to 12th December, 2014.
• Attended and Presented a Paper titled “Criminalisation of Politics: A Threat to Democracy” in Two Day National Seminar on “Democracy, Development and Globalization: Perspectives and Experiences” organized by the Association of Political Scientists – Kerala in association with Department of Political Science, Government College, Madappally, Vadakara, Kozhikode on 30th & 31st January, 2015.
• Presented a Paper titled “Simultaneous Elections in India: A Historical Study” in Two Day National Conference on “Democracy, Elections and Good Governance” organized by Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur held on 05th October, 2018 and 06th October, 2018.
• Presented a Paper titled “Emergence of NOTA in the Electoral Orbit of India” in Two Day National Seminar on “Electoral Politics in India: Dynamics and Trends” organized by Dr. V. K. Sukumaran Nayar Chair for Parliamentary Affairs, Department of Political Science, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram held on 25th & 26th March 2019.
• Attended and Presented a paper titled “Indian Constitution@70: Role of Election Commission” in the One Day National Seminar on “Constitution@70: Challenges and Perspectives” organised by Iqbal College, Peringammala, Trivandrum in association with Institute of Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram on 11th February, 2020.
• Participated and Presented another paper titled “Public Policy Issues and Concerns in Electoral Reforms: The Case of India” in the Two-Day International Conference on “Governance and Public Policy, 2020” organised by Grassroot Empowerment and Development by Youth (GEDY), Delhi in collaboration with Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu on 22nd & 23rd February, 2020.
• Participated and Presented a Paper titled “Democratic Governance in India: Role of Elections” in the 59th All India Political Science Conference and International Seminar on Global Rise of Incredible India organised by Indian Political Science Association (IPSA) held at University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya on 26th & 27th March, 2022.
• Participated and Co-Presented a Paper titled “Life for Environment (LiFE): India’s Human Centered and Collective Action for Sustainable Development” along with Dr. Reinhart Philip, Assistant Professor, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod in ICSSR sponsored Two Day National Seminar on “India’s G20 Presidency: Scope for Strengthening Peace and Sustainable Development” organized by Post Graduate Department of Economics, Nirmala College, Muvattupuzha, Ernakulam, Kerala on 03rd & 04th October, 2023.
• Participated and Presented a Paper titled “The Role of The Election Commission of India: Constitutional Authority and Electoral Reforms” in the Two-Day National Seminar on “Democracy in Flux: Examining the Constitution’s Role in Promoting Social Justice and Addressing Emerging Challenges” organized by Department of Economics, Nirmala College (Autonomous), Muvattupuzha in association with Institute of Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram on 16th & 17th December, 2024.
• Participated and Presented a Paper titled “Digital Transformation of India's Electoral System: Progress, Challenges, and Future Prospects” in the Two-Day International e-Conference on “Digital World without Borders: A Multi-Dimensional Perspective” organized by St. Mary’s College, Puthanangadi, Malappuram, Kerala in collaboration with Catholic University Our Lady of Good Counsel, Tirana, Albania on 21st & 22nd February, 2025.

• Participated in National Seminar on “Law and Policy on Fisheries Conservation and Management: Issues and Challenges” organized by Centre for Law and Agriculture, The National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kalamassery, Kochi held on 04th & 05th March, 2013.
• Attended Three Day International Seminar on “India and WTO: Towards Effective Multilevel Governance of International Public Goods” organized by the Department of International Relations, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod held from 06th October, 2013 to 08th October, 2013.
• Participated in One Day National Seminar on “Use of Technology and Innovations in Promoting Good Governance” conducted by Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod in connection with the Birth Anniversary of Shri. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Former Prime Minister of India held on 18th December, 2014.
• Participated in Three Day National Seminar on “Development, Displacement and Rehabilitation in India: Administrative and Policy Options” organised by Department of Public Administration and Policy Studies, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod on 11th July, 2018 to 13th July, 2018.
• Participated in Two Day National Seminar on “Two Decades of Decentralisation Reforms in Kerala: Lessons Learnt and Tasks Ahead” organised by Department of International Relations and Politics, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod on 24th July, 2018 and 25th July, 2018.
• Participated in Two Day National Seminar on “Women and the Environment” organised by Centre for Women’s Studies, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod sponsored by National Commission for Women, New Delhi held on 18th & 19th March, 2019.
• Participated in Two Day National Seminar on “Urban Governance in India: Prospects & Challenges” organised by Department of Public Administration & Policy Studies, Central University of Kerala held on 20th & 21st March, 2019.
• Participated in Two Day National Conference on “Constitution & Democracy: 70 Years of Indian Experience” organized by Department of International Relations and Politics, School of Global Studies and Department of Public Administration and Policy Studies, School of Social Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod held on 26th November, 2019 and 27th November, 2019.

• Representative in School.
• Student Co-Ordinator of College & University Seminars.

• Indian Constitution
• Indian Administration
• Election Studies
• Public Policy
• Law and Judicial Activism
• Public Administration

• Chaired a Technical Session in the Two-Day National Seminar on “Democracy in Flux: Examining the Constitution’s Role in Promoting Social Justice and Addressing Emerging Challenges” organized by Department of Economics, Nirmala College (Autonomous), Muvattupuzha in association with Institute of Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram on 16th & 17th December, 2024.
• Resource Person for the Refresher Programme organized by Surana College (Autonomous), South End Circle, Bangalore on 09th January, 2025. The Session was titled as “The Learning Outcome Conundrum in Outcome-based Education”.
• Resource Person in the “International Colloquium on Sustainability in Action: Insights and Innovations Across Disciplines” jointly organized by Research & Development Cell and IQAC, Majlis Arts & Science College (Autonomous), Puramannur, Valanchery in collaboration with Kerala State Higher Education Council on 19th February, 2025. The Session was titled as “Environment, Human Development and Indian Constitution”.

• Department of Public Administration and Policy Studies, School of Social Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod.
• Date of Award: 25th July, 2024
• Topic of Research - Role of Election Commission in the Electoral Reforms of India: Policy Options and Alternatives

• Attended a Four Day Workshop on Research Methodology in Social Sciences organized by the Department of International Relations, School of Global Studies, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod held from 01st October, 2013 to 04th October, 2013.
• Participated in One Day Training Programme on “Human Rights” conducted by Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod in association with National Human Rights Commission held on 13th December, 2013.
• Attended a Seven National Workshop on Research Methodology in Social Sciences Organized by Department of Education, Mizoram University, Aizawl in collaboration with Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi on 24th October, 2017 to 30th October, 2017.
• Attended Two Day Workshop of “The Dynamics of Social Science Research” organised by the Department of International Relations, School of Global Studies, Central University of Kerala, Capital Centre, Thiruvananthapuram on 27th & 28th September, 2018.
• Participated in Two Day National Symposium on “Academic Writing, Publishing and Plagiarism: Trends, Practices and Issues” organised by the University Library, Central University of Kerala in association with Centre for Curriculum Research Policy and Educational Development, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching, School of Education, Central University of Kerala on 8th & 9th January, 2020.
• Participated in Three Day National Level Workshop on “Designing Research in Social Sciences” organised by the School of Cultural Studies, Central University of Kerala in association with Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT), Central University of Kerala on 04th March, 2020 – 06th March, 2020 at Capital Centre, Central University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram.
• Participated in 5 Days Webinar Series on “Disaster Management” Organised by Department of Environmental Science, School of Earth Science Systems. Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod from 06th July, 2020 to 10th July, 2020.
• Participated in One Week TEQIP – III Short Term Course on “Innovation, Novelty and Intellectual Property Rights” organized by Innovation Club, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar held from 28th August, 2020 to 1st September, 2020.
• Participated in One Week Faculty Development Programme/ Training Programme on “A Systematic Way of Research Paper Writing” organized by Research Foundation of India, New Delhi held from 15th November, 2024 to 20th November, 2024.

• Bestin, Varkey. (2015) “Voting Behaviour in India: A Study with Special Reference to NOTA”. Journal of Social Discourse: Critical Debates in Social Science Vol. 2 No. 2 April - September 2015. ISSN 2348-6376. Page 163 – 179
• Bestin, Varkey. (2018). “Facets of Election Commission in a Democratic Polity: The Case of India”. Public Administration Review Vol. No. XIX, 2018 ISSN: 2249 – 3360. Page No.: 87 – 101.
• Bestin, Varkey. (2018) “Simultaneous Elections in India: A Historical Study”. in Edited Book by Mohan S. et al. Democracy, Elections and Good Governance. Sivali Publications. Nagpur. ISBN: 978-81-934270-2-6. Page No. 309 – 311.
• Bestin, Varkey. (2020). “Public Policy Issues and Concerns in Electoral Reforms: The Case of India”. in Conference Souvenir on International Conference on Governance and Public Policy. Published by GEDY India. February, 2020; ISBN 978-81-941873-4-9. Page No. 73 & 74.
• Bestin, Varkey. (2020). “Electoral Reforms in India: Committees and Commissions” South Asian Journal of Socio – Political Studies (SAJOSPS), Vol. XXI No. 1, July – December 2020; ISSN: 0972 – 4613. Page No.: 125 – 130.
• Bestin, Varkey. (2021). “Emergence of NOTA in the Electoral Orbit of India”. in Edited Book by Samuel Jacob Kuruvilla. Electoral Politics in India: Dynamics and Trends. Pravda Books, Kollam. ISBN: 978-81-951463-6-9. Page No. 41 - 58.
• Bestin, Varkey. (2022). “Electoral Reforms in India: Public Policy Issues and Concerns”. Dogo Rangsang Research Journal. Vol. 12 Issue 11 No. 03, November, 2022. ISSN: 2347-7180. (UGC CARE Listed Journal)
• Bestin Varkey (Co-Authored). (2023). “Life for Environment (LiFE): India’s Human Centred and Collective Action for Sustainable Development”, in Edited Book by Dr. Liji George. India’s G20 Presidency: Scope for Strengthening Peace and Sustainable Development. Nirmala Academic & Research Publications, Muvattupuzha. ISBN: 978-81-966264-0-2
• Two of my research papers are currently under review for publication in SCOPUS-indexed journals.

• M. R., BIJU, Professor & Dean, School of Social Sciences, mrbijueditor@yahoo.com, bijumr@cukerala.ac.in, +91 8281032062, +91 9847432062, Central University of Kerala, Tejaswini Hills Campus, Periye, Kasaragod, Kerala, 671325, Department of Public Administration & Policy Studies
• M. UMA, MAHESWARI, Professor & Head, ubpol1992@gmail.com, departmentofpolitics@gmail.com, +91 9840324924, University of Madras, Chepauk Campus, Triplicane, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600005, Department of Politics & Public Administration
• REINHART, PHILIP, Assistant Professor & Coordinator, reinganges@gmail.com, reinganges@cukerala.ac.in, +91 9496560864, Central University of Kerala, Tejaswini Hills, Periye, Kasaragod, Kerala, 671325, Centre for Defence and Security Studies, Department of International Relations & Politics