Better infrastructure, inclusive spaces, and reinstatement of the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) are some of the key promises being made by the candidates in the upcoming Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections. The contest, which is being held after a four-year gap, promises to be interesting, given the diverse backgrounds of the candidates.
The university is set to hold the student body elections on March 22 and declare the results on March 24.
Dhananjay, a Dalit PhD scholar from Bihar’s Gaya district, who is the presidential candidate of the United Left Alliance, the banner under which all left parties are jointly contesting the polls, said, “For many of us from marginalised communities, even paying ₹6,000-₹7,000 a month extra was crushing. The issue of the four-year undergraduate programme and fee hikes pulled me towards student politics.”
Umesh Chandra Ajmeera, who hails from a Scheduled Tribe (ST), is the presidential candidate of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Mr. Ajmeera comes from a remote village near Warangal in Telangana. “I have grown up without proper infrastructure and roads. We would cross rivers to get to school. Even in JNU, there are numerous infrastructural issues. The roof can fall on one’s head any time,” he says. The ABVP candidate wants to counter the “anti-national” rhetoric on the campus.
Umesh Chandra Ajmeera, the presidential candidate of the RSS-affiliated ABVP. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Biswajit Minji, who also belongs to the ST community, is the presidential candidate of the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association. He hails from a family of farm labourers in West Bengal. “When I came to campus and participated in a protest for Rohith Vemula, I became increasingly aware of the systematic oppression our communities face,” he said. He hopes to address “the discrimination in the viva examinations”, reservation policies in hostels, and hostel infrastructure issues. He added, “We want to make the campus more inclusive... and leave the university with dignity.”
Swati Singh, originally from Bhagalpur in Bihar, found her calling at a young age. “When I was in school, I remember being inspired by watching on television how JNU students fought for justice for Nirbhaya in 2012,” she said.
She became actively involved in student politics in 2015. Her resolve to have safe spaces for dissent became stronger after the university rusticated her in 2023 for an alleged run-in with security guards during a protest. Last month, the High Court quashed the rustication order. She now stands for the joint secretary post from the United Left Alliance.
