Ousting the All India Students’ Association (AISA) after two years, the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) clinched the presidential position here on Sunday in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections.
Breaking the Left bastion at the prestigious institute, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the Bharatiya Janata Party student wing, made a comeback at the central panel after 14 years by securing the post of joint secretary.
The AISA managed to retain two of four seats in the central panel. AISF’s Kanhaiya Kumar was declared president, defeating AISA’s Vijay Kumar by a slim margin of 67 votes. Shehla Rashid Shora and Rama Naga of AISA won the second and third spots of the vice-president and general secretary respectively, defeating their ABVP opponents. Defeating the AISA by just 27 votes, the ABVP’s Saurabh Kumar Sharma won the post of joint secretary.
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The ABVP, which has gradually been making its presence felt in the JNU campus, won a seat after more than a decade, although its representatives secure posts as councillors every year. The party last secured a berth at the JNU central panel in 2001, when Sandeep Mahapatra, the current BJP national spokesperson, was elected president.
While Delhi University has seen a tussle for power between the ABVP and the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the Congress student wing, the ABVP’s emerging presence at JNU is considerably important since JNUSU polls have always been keenly contested by several Left-backed parties.
Last year, the ABVP ranked second in the posts of vice-president and general secretary, losing to the AISF.
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Congratulating the JNU and DU students’ unions, BJP national secretary Amit Shah issued a release later in the day stating that both institutes were representative of India. “DU and JNU are like mini India and students come here from all parts of the country to fulfil their dreams. Therefore, this victory represents the thinking of the youth of India...,” Mr. Shah said in the release.
‘Unity lacking in Left’ Acknowledging the ABVP’s rising presence, AISA national president and former JNU president Sucheta De said her party was not deterred by the ABVP. “The politics at JNU has always been Left-oriented. There has been a considerable increase in the popularity of ABVP since last year. The lack of unity among Left parties is to blame for their rise. Students were losing confidence in the AISF as they are yet to fulfil their promises, including increasing hostel accommodation,” Ms. De said.
This article has been corrected for a factual error.