After lagging behind ABVP in the early hours of counting of votes in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union election, the Left once again showed their dominance in the varsity and retained all four posts, dashing hopes of the RSS-backed student outfit.
The ABVP was heading towards a sweep at one point in time, which came as a surprise to many. However, as the counting progressed, the Left increased their numbers and eventually secured all four posts.
In the elections conducted after 4-year Covid hiatus, the United Left alliance comprising All India Students’ Association (AISA), Democratic Students Federation (DSF), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students’ Federation (AISF), is contesting against the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
ABVP’s presidential candidate Umesh Chandra got 2,118 votes, while the Left nominee Dhananjay secured 3,100 votes.
President
Dhananjay (Left)- 3,100
Umesh Chandra Ajmeera (ABVP)- 2,118
Vice President
Avijit Ghosh (Left)- 2,762
Deepika Sharma (ABVP)- 1,848
General Secretary
Arjun Anand (ABVP) – 2,4,12
Priyanshi Arya (BAPSA, Left Supported) – 3,440
Joint Secretary
Govind Dangi (ABVP) – 2,591
Mo Sajid (Left) – 3,035
Ever since JNU was established in 1969, left-wing student organisations, specifically the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) affiliated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist), have had a strong influence on student politics.
The SFI has had an impressive 22 victories in the presidential post, while the All India Students’ Association (AISA) has secured it 11 times. It’s quite remarkable to see the impact these organizations have had on shaping student politics at JNU over the years.
The presidential debate for the JNUSU elections was held on March 20. Polling was held on March 22 and the result will be out on Sunday.
first published: March 24, 2024, 4:30 PM IST
