The United Left alliance comprising the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) won all four central panel posts in the Jawaharlal Nehru Student Union (JNUSU) elections.
According to the university election committee, the Left grouping’s presidential candidate, N. Sai Balaji of the AISA, defeated Lalit Pandey of the ABVP by a margin of 1,179 votes. Mr. Balaji bagged 2,161 votes.
For the post of vice-president, Sarika Chaudhary of the DSF garnered 2,692 votes and trounced ABVP candidate Geetasri Boruah by a margin of 1,680 votes.
Aejaz Ahmad of the SFI polled 2,423 votes and won the post of general secretary, by defeating Ganesh Gurjar of the ABVP by 1,300 votes.
Amutha of the AISF defeated ABVP’s Venkat Choubey by 800 votes to win the post of joint secretary. Ms. Amutha bagged 2,047 votes.
Mr. Balaji is a student of JNU’s School of International Studies. Mr. Chaudhary, Mr. Ahmed and Ms. Amutha belong to the School of Social Sciences.
Counting was suspended for over 15 hours on Saturday after students allegedly from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad stormed into the counting room and indulged in vandalism at 4 a.m.
Counting resumed at 6 30 p.m after a few tense moments on campus with thousands of students gathering outside the counting room and raising slogans against the ABVP and in support of the student-elected JNUSU Election Commission. A scuffle also broke out in the evening between a few ABVP supporters and Left-supporters. Delhi Police and CRPF personnel were seen stationed at the gate of the university. The counting finally resumed after the Grievance Redressal Committee of the university appointed a JNU professor to be present at the counting.
(With PTI inputs)
