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The Hindu
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
JNUSU results: Left Unity wins three posts, ABVP makes comeback with one post
In closely contested polls, both rival student groups — the Left Unity panel and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) — made it to the central panel of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU), with the Left Unity clinching three posts and ABVP making a comeback after 10 years by securing victory in one post. The Left Unity's Nitish Kumar of All India Students' Association (AISA) won the president's post, while Manisha and Munteha Fatima from the Democratic Students' Federation (DSF) won the vice-president and general secretary posts respectively. Meanwhile, ABVP's Vaibhav Meena secured the post of joint secretary. ABVP also said that it had won 24 councillor posts out of 42. This year, the United Left split into two blocks with Students' Federation of India (SFI) forming the Left-Ambedkarite panel with Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA), All India Students' Federation (AISF) and Progressive Students' Association (PSA); and All India Students' Association (AISA) allying with Democratic Students' Federation (DSF) to form the Left Unity panel. Close battle The two sides saw a neck-and-neck battle with low margins determining the results. While Mr. Kumar beat ABVP's presidential candidate Shikha Swaraj by a margin of 272 votes, the new JNUSU vice-president Ms. Manisha beat ABVP's candidate Nitthu Goutham by 34 votes, and general secretary Ms. Munteha emerged victorious with 114 votes more than ABVP's Kunal Rai. Meanwhile, ABVP's Mr. Meena beat Left Unity candidate Naresh Kumar for the joint secretary post by only 85 votes. JNU has been a stronghold for both AISA and SFI. Both groups have been fighting together since 2016 under the United Left alliance with the aim of collectively combating the RSS-affiliated ABVP. The last ABVP candidate to have won a post in the central panel was Saurabh Sharma, who was elected as the joint secretary in 2015. Soon after the declaration of results, ABVP said that it was unfurling the 'saffron flag in JNU' and 'breaching the Left's red fortress'. Tense collaboration Mr. Meena, who hails from Rajasthan and has a tribal background, said, 'My win is not personal achievement but a massive victory of tribal consciousness and the nationalist ideology, which has been suppressed by the Left in this varsity for years.' He said that the ABVP is committed to a vision of JNU where 'dialogue, inclusivity and academic excellence are paramount'. 'We will be fighting for campus issues, and we have the backing of the councillors, so the Left will have to work with us this coming term,' he said. Meanwhile, the Left Unity said that ABVP's win needs to be viewed against the larger backdrop of 'structural changes' in JNU. While the Left Unity post-holders said that they hope to address the issue of fund cuts, accessibility and infrastructure, particularly in libraries and laboratories, they said they are apprehensive of a lack of coordination. 'Last time, Saurabh Sharma did not coordinate with the left and led a campaign to shut down JNU. We will put efforts into working together and hope a similar situation doesn't arise,' Mr. Kumar said. Ms. Manisha said, 'When it comes to fund cuts for infrastructure, ABVP will protest but not do anything about it. Their government is in power so they should be able to secure it. But unlike them, we will work towards securing funds for better infrastructure.'
The Hindu
27-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
JNUSU results: Left Unity wins three posts, ABVP enters JNUSU after ten years with one
The Left Unity panel won three seats in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union (JNUSU), while Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) won one seat, after a gap of ten years. Through the night, JNU witnessed celebrations on both sides with red and saffron flags dotting the campus. The post of President was won by the Left Unity's Nitish Kumar, Vice-President post by Manisha, and General Secretary post by Munteha. This year, after a split with Students' Federation of India (SFI), All India Students' Association had allied with Democratic Students' Federation (DSF). While Nitish Kumar is from AISA, Manisha and Muntaha are from DSF. Vaibhav Meena from ABVP won the Joint Secretary post, making him the first in recent history to have won a central panel post. Meanwhile, ABVP said that it had won 24 councillor posts out of 42. The last ABVP candidate to have won was Saurabh Sharma in 2015 who won the Joint Secretary post, marking its return to campus after 15 years. In 2000, ABVP's Sandeep Mahapatra won the Presidential post. This year, the United Left split into two blocks with Students' Federation of India formed the Left-Ambedkarite panel with Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA), All India Students Federation (AISF) and Progressive Students Association (PSA), and All India Students' Association (AISA) allying with Democratic Students' Federation (DSF). JNU has been a stronghold for the left with both All India Students' Association (AISA) and Students' Federation of India (SFI) winning multiple Presidential terms. AISA and SFI have been fighting together since 2016 under the Left Unity alliance, with the aim of collectively combating RSS-affiliated ABVP. This year, ABVP hoped to come to power as the split in the alliance presented them with a 'good opportunity to hoist the tricolour in JNU'. Soon after the declaration of results ABVP said that it was unfurling the 'saffron flag in JNU' and breaching the left's 'red fortress'. ABVP's Vaibhav Meena, from Rajasthan and hails from an ST community. He said, 'I am not at all considering this victory as my personal achievement or gain but it's a massive and fascinating victory of tribal consciousness and the nationalist ideology which has been suppressed by the left in the varsity for years.' Earlier the three Left Unity candidates told The Hindu that if they came to power, they would work on issues such as rolling back the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, infrastructural issues such as the degrading situation in hostels, and academic issues such as campus recruitment. The Left Unity said in a statement that while it has retained its victory, the elections are happening in the larger context of 'structural changes in JNU'. It added, 'It is the need of the hour that all progressive organisations and forces on campus now resolve to come together to fight this formidable challenge of entrance of the ABVP in JNUSU.'
The Print
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
JNUSU presidential debate sees fierce political divides, shared condemnation of Pahalgam attack
The Election Committee called for a moment of silence to honour those killed in the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. Soon after, speeches resumed with strong ideological messaging from across the political spectrum with candidates clashing over campus politics and national issues. The debate Wednesday night, held at the red-and-white pavilion near Ganga hostel, stretched into the early hours and drew large crowds from across Delhi. The air pulsed with sloganeering and the beat of drums, as student groups waved banners and flags—Palestinian and Israeli alike—transforming the campus stage into a microcosm of broader geopolitical and ideological strife. New Delhi: Candidates from various student outfits unanimously condemned the Pahalgam terror attack at the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) presidential debate, before diving into heated clashes over campus issues, national politics, and global affairs. Shikha Swaraj, the presidential candidate from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), linked the Pahalgam attack to what she described as 'the rotten ideology of the Leftist'. She criticised both emerging Left formations on the campus—the Left-Ambedkarite front, Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA), the All India Students' Federation (AISF), and the Progressive Students' Association (PSA) coalition against All India Students' Association–Democratic Students' Front (DSF) alliance—and called for their defeat. 'JNU has completed 56 years, and this debate is historic because we are exposing these Left groups, who are already divided,' she said. Ahead of this year's JNUSU elections, the Students' Federation of India (SFI)-All India Students' Association (AISA) alliance split last week. AISA has teamed up with DSF, while SFI has formed a new 'Left-Ambedkarite' front with BAPSA, AISF and PSA. In stark contrast, Tayyaba Ahmed, representing the Left-Ambedkarite front, had to push through significant disruptions during her speech. As she took the stage, ABVP supporters intensified their protests, banging on drums that overpowered the usual dhaplis used at student gatherings. She accused the ABVP of glorifying individuals convicted in the Bilkis Bano case and referred to a 2018 sexual harassment case involving a JNU professor. 'These are the people who garland the convicted rapists of Bilkis Bano. They roam around with someone accused of harassment,' she added, calling the ABVP as the 'Akhil Bhartiya Harassment Parishad'. Nitish Kumar, contesting the election on behalf of the AISA-DSF alliance, began his speech with condolences for those affected by the Pahalgam attack. However, he quickly pivoted to critique the BJP-led central government, warning against the politicisation of such tragedies for communal gain. 'If the BJP uses this incident to spread communalism, JNU will resist,' he asserted. He also spoke about the recent suspension of elections following violent clashes allegedly involving ABVP members, likening the situation to the controversial Chandigarh mayoral polls, tainted by allegations of malpractice. Reaffirming JNU's legacy of resistance, he declared, 'JNU will not bow down'. Pradeep Dhaka, the NSUI candidate, chose to broaden the scope of the debate beyond campus and national politics. He expressed solidarity with global struggles for justice, naming oppressed communities in Yemen, Palestine, and China's Uyghur region as examples. Condemning the Pahalgam attack, Dhaka used the moment to question the ideological alignment of the ABVP with the RSS, the ideological parent of the BJP. Holding aloft a copy of the Indian Constitution, he said, 'This country runs on the constitution, not the Politburo of Nagpur,' a reference to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. JNU students will cast their votes on 25 April, with the results scheduled to be announced on 28 April. (Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri) Also read: Arunachal's Yari Nayam is in JNUSU fray to script history. Her rallying cry: 'We exist, we matter'
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Promises, disruptions and debate: JNUSU presidential candidates face-off
Jhelum lawn in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) turned into a battleground on Wednesday night, as 13 candidates vying for the JNUSU president's post faced off in a debate ahead of the upcoming polls. The debate, a mandatory part of the poll process, began with a tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. Candidates discussed topics such as the Hathras and Bilkis Bano rape cases and promises of minority reservations and better infrastructure. This year, the United Left has been split into two blocs. While the Congress-backed National Students' Union of India (NSUI) vowed to uphold constitutional values, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) candidate Shikha Swaraj took a dig at the fractured Left groups, quipping, 'Tukde-tukde gang abhi tukde mein bate hue hai (The tukde-tukde gang is now in pieces).' Many speakers faced disruptions from the audience. Left-Ambedkarite Unity Panel candidate Tayyaba Ahmed's speech faced the most backlash for attacking the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, parent body of ABVP, prompting Election Committee chairperson Vikash to say the debate would be paused if the audience did not calm down. Polling is on Friday and the results will be declared on April 28.
