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Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
JNUSU elections: ABVP makes a strong comeback after a decade, what went wrong for the Left?
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) made a strong comeback at the Jawarlal Nehru University, a left bastion, after a decade. Even though the left alliance of AISA and DSF retained the posts of president, vice-president and general secretary, their victory margins were close. It was a win by just 272 votes for president, 34 for vice-president and 114 for general secretary. ABVP clinched the post of joint secretary by a margin of 85 votes. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack India stares at a 'water bomb' threat as it freezes Indus Treaty India readies short, mid & long-term Indus River plans Shehbaz Sharif calls India's stand "worn-out narrative" The margins last year were wider when AISA, SFI, AISF and DSF contested together, with the difference between the United Left's presidential candidate and ABVP's being 982 votes, that for vice-president being 755 votes, for general secretary 998 votes and for joint secretary, 397 votes. NOTA votes rose from 894 last year to 1,023 this year, indicating a changing trend in student politics. The Left was split this time, SFI forming a separate alliance with a faction of BAPSA, AISF and PSA. This critically affected the anti-ABVP vote. If the Left had been united like last year, it would not only have won with bigger margins, but would also have clinch the one lost seat. SFI-BAPSA's presidential candidate Tayabba secured 918 votes, while its general secretary nominee Ramnivas won 675 votes, These numbers suggest that the victory margin would have widened when added to the United Left's tally. GIF89a����!�,D; 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Co-Founder of Google Brain, Andrew Ng, Is Reported To Have Read Every... Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo However, ABVP's performance cannot go under the radar. If its claims to wining nearly half of the councillor seats is true, there could be a majr shift in JNU 's campus politics. United Left has refuted the claim and has accused ABVP of inflating its numbers by including independent candidates in its tally. This time, it was not just sciences and management schools, which have been traditional ABVP strongholds, that tilted in its favour. The organisation also won in Left-dominated School of International Studies and School of Social Sciences, securing four of 10 cumulative seats. Live Events Last time the RSS-affiliated organisation won a central post in JNUSU was in 2016. The left had completely dominated since then. One of the major reasons for the changing dynamics is the evolving student demographics. Since JNU adopted CUET, the centralised entrance exam system, new student batches are often seen as less ideologically driven and more diverse in their backgrounds. Most do not see themselves aligning with Left politics, giving an opportunity for ABVP to exploit. Another important factor was ABVP's ability to navigate the internal divisions within the Left. Additionally, the Northeast factor played a significant role this year. Students from the Northeast thought that they were inadequately represented by both the left and right and decided to field their own independent presidential candidate, Yari Nayam. They had felt let down after the Barak Hostel, which they claimed was exclusively built for Northeast students, was opened up for others. In the election, Nayam secured 1,184 votes, which a considerable number. ABVP's Vaibhav secured a close win for joint secretary, having got 1,518 votes to PSA's Nigam who secured 1,256 votes. The 85-vote margin showed how close the race was and how the fragmented Left votes benefited ABVP. The fresher batch also played an important role. New students, less tied to older ideological loyalties and more focused on practical campus issues, were swing voters. Their preference for alternatives to the traditional Left could have resulted in greater ABVP numbers, not only in the central panel but also in councillor elections. The 2025 JNUSU elections signal a massive shift in JNU's political landscape. While the Left has retained key posts, its once-unassailable grip on the student union's power structure has been weakened. ABVP's rise seems to mark the beginning of more equal contests in the university.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
What went right for ABVP, what didn't for Left at JNU
New Delhi: After a decade, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad made a dent in student politics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, long considered a Left bastion. In the recent student union elections, while the leftist combo of AISA and DSF retained the posts of president, vice-president and general secretary, their victories came with razor-thin margins: just 272 votes for president, 34 for vice-president and 114 for general secretary. ABVP clinched the post of joint secretary by a margin of 85 votes. Last year, the margins were significantly wider when AISA, SFI, AISF and DSF contested together under a single banner, with the difference between the United Left's presidential candidate and ABVP's being 982 votes, that for vice-president being 755 votes, for general secretary 998 votes and for joint secretary, 397 votes. NOTA votes rose from 894 last year to 1,023 this year, indicating some illusion with the student political groups. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi A closer look at the results reveals that the split in the Left, with SFI forming a separate alliance with a faction of BAPSA, AISF and PSA, critically fractured the anti-ABVP vote. Had the Left fought unitedly, it would have secured not only more comfortable victories but also not lost the one seat to ABVP. SFI-BAPSA's presidential candidate Tayabba secured 918 votes, while its general secretary nominee Ramnivas collected 675 votes — numbers that, when added to the United Left's tally, would have widened the margin with ABVP substantially. Nevertheless, ABVP's performance cannot be understated. If its claims to winning nearly half of the councillor seats is true, there could be a tangible shift in JNU's campus politics. United Left has refuted the claim, however, accusing ABVP of inflating its numbers by including independent candidates in its tally. It wasn't just the sciences and management schools —traditional ABVP strongholds — that tilted in its favour. ABVP's victories in Left-dominated School of International Studies and School of Social Sciences, where they secured four of 10 cumulative seats, signifies a rise. The last time the RSS-affiliated student organisation won a central post in JNUSU was in 2016. Since then, the Left has dominated fully. One reason for the changing power dynamic shown by the 2025 polls is the evolving student demographics. Since JNU adopted CUET, the centralised entrance exam system, the incoming student batches are often seen as less ideologically driven and more diverse in their backgrounds. Many of them do not align with Left politics, creating a condition for ABVP to cash in. Another important factor was ABVP's ability to navigate the internal divisions within the Left. Also, the Northeast factor played a significant role this year. Disillusioned by what they perceived as inadequate representation by both Left and right outfits, the Northeast students fielded their own independent presidential candidate, Yari Nayam. They had felt let down after the Barak Hostel, which they claimed was exclusively built for Northeast students, was opened up for others. In the event, Nayam secured 1,184 votes — a considerable number. The central panel election results underline the new competitiveness: ABVP's Vaibhav secured a thin win for joint secretary, having got 1,518 votes to PSA's Nigam who polled 1,256. The 85-vote margin showed how close the race was and how the fragmented Left votes benefited ABVP. The fresher batch's arrival also played a crucial role. New students, less tied to older ideological loyalties and more focused on practical campus issues, proved to be swing voters. Their preference for alternatives to the traditional Left likely bolstered ABVP's numbers, not only in the central panel but also in councillor elections. The 2025 JNUSU elections signal a big shift in JNU's political landscape. While the Left has retained key posts, its once-unassailable grip on the student union's power structure was shown as weakened. ABVP's rise, fuelled by fresh demographics, internal fractures in the Left and a more competitive electoral field, seems to mark the beginning of more equal contests in the university.
Indian Express
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Son of tribal farmers, PhD scholar: How ABVP's Vaibhav Meena broke barriers to reach JNU — found a spot on its students' union
Long before he stepped into Jawaharlal Nehru University's sprawling campus, Vaibhav Meena spent his days balancing coursework with side jobs at call centres in Jaipur. The son of tribal farmers from Rajasthan's Karauli district, Meena worked to pay his university fees, determined to have an education his family had never imagined for him. 'I come from a simple lower-middle-class family background where we had to support our own education. While pursuing my Bachelor's degree in Jaipur, I worked at a call centre to pay my fees. Then I did my Master's from Banaras Hindu University,' the 27-year-old told The Indian Express after his win in the JNU students' union election. He bagged the post of joint secretary — marking the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad's (ABVP) return to the central panel for the first time in nearly a decade. The ABVP last held a central panel seat in 2015-16, when it won the post of Joint Secretary by defeating the AISA candidate by a narrow margin of 28 votes. Polling for the four central panel posts was held on Friday. Of the 7,906 eligible voters, close to 70% cast their votes — slightly lower than last year's turnout of around 73%. In the final tally, Nitish Kumar from the All India Students' Association (AISA) was elected President, Manisha from the Democratic Students' Front (DSF) became Vice-President, Munteha Fatima from DSF was elected General Secretary, while Meena clinched the post of Joint Secretary for ABVP. The AISA, which broke away from the Students' Federation of India, allied with DSF for the polls. Meena, now a PhD scholar in Hindi Literature at JNU, has become the first from his village to enter the university and made it to the central student body. Growing up, he said, his father's interest in politics laid the foundation for his own political journey. 'My father has always been my inspiration to enter student politics. I have been associated with the ABVP since my time at Jaipur University.' But Meena's entry into JNU wasn't just about academic ambition, it was about breaking barriers of caste, geography, and class. 'I come from a tribal background… my mother and father work as farmers,' he said. 'I am the first from my village to do a PhD in Hindi.' Apart from the central panel win, the ABVP claimed it won 23 out of 42 councillor seats across JNU's 16 schools and special centres. In a statement issued Sunday, ABVP described its performance as 'historic,' highlighting breakthroughs into traditionally Left-dominated bastions such as the School of Social Sciences and the School of International Studies. In a statement earlier, the student body also said that the 'failure of the current Left-led JNUSU has raised concerns over academic quality, infrastructural facilities and democratic discourse on campus'. Asked about operating within a historically Left-dominated campus, Meena remained unfazed. 'We have done very well in winning most of the councillor posts in schools, so I don't think it should be a problem,' he said. 'The Left has been dominant for a decade, but still, look at the campus and its deteriorating infrastructure. They couldn't make anything better. This is my goal: to make JNU better for students and to save it from the 'deshdrohi' image that the Left is responsible for.' For Meena, student politics is only the beginning. His ambition stretches far beyond JNU's campus gates. 'I aim to enter active politics in the future while being associated with the Vidyarthi Parishad and wish to do more work to uplift people in our society,' he said.
India Today
28-04-2025
- Politics
- India Today
RSS student wing finally breaches Left citadel JNU
New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where red ran deep, is now showing a saffron shift. In the hotly contested Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) elections, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has achieved a massive breakthrough in the traditionally Left-dominated the Left alliance secured key central panel posts, the ABVP made unprecedented gains in councillor seats. The ABVP won 23 out of 42 councillor seats across 16 schools and special centres, which is the highest number of seats won by any student body, according to BJP leader Amit the ABVP has also secured two out of five seats in the School of Social Sciences and the School of International Studies, strongholds long controlled by Left student bodies. The election's verdict, which was declared late on Sunday, marks the first time in 25 years that ABVP has won seats in the School of Social GAVE LEFT UNIONS A CLOSE FIGHT FOR ALL JNUSU POSTS Among the four key posts, ABVP's Vaibhav Meena has been elected Joint Secretary. Even in the vice-president and general secretary posts, where the Left alliance won, the ABVP fought close battles, losing by just 34 and 114 votes victory marks the first time since 2015–16, when ABVP's Saurav Sharma last clinched the joint secretary post, that the student wing has secured a central panel seat. The last time the ABVP won the JNUSU presidency was in 2000-01 when Sandeep Mahapatra was elected."History was created and this is just the beginning," posted the ABVP-JNU X the JNUSU, the council is made up of the central panel (president, vice-president, secretary, and joint secretary) and the councillors, who hold the power to approve all proposals. With 23 seats now under its belt, the ABVP's influence over decision-making is set to rise SUCCESS IN JNU NO SURPRISE, GREW IN LAST 10 YEARSThe performance of the ABVP is a testimony to its growing presence and purchase on the JNU campus, where Left organisations like the All India Students' Association (AISA) and Students' Federation of India (SFI) have historically held Left's dominance in JNU, long hailed as a Left bastion, now stands shaken by the rise of the Saffron on the campus. The ABVP has significantly expanded its presence in JNU over the past decade. The AVBP's Sunday win follows a decade of incremental gains, with ABVP consistently polling 800-1,000 votes every the 2024 JNUSU elections too, the ABVP came second in all the four key Left parties, on the other hand, had been hit by challenges of internal divisions before the 2024 elections. Unlike previous years, the Left went into the elections fragmented. The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist)'s AISA and the SFI contested despite the ABVP's sweep of the councillor seats and winning the joint secretary post is the beginning of the breach of the Left citadel. It will only be complete when the ABVP is able to win all the four top posts of the university's students Reel
Indian Express
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
JNU student union polls: Left panel and ABVP neck-and-neck in key central panel posts
It's a tight contest for the four key central panel posts in Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) election. As counting continued late Sunday night, early trends indicated a neck-and-neck contest between the Left alliance of the All India Students' Association and Democratic Students' Front (AISA-DSF) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The final results are yet to be declared. As of 10.30 pm, Nitish Kumar, the presidential candidate fielded by AISA and representing the AISA-DSF alliance, was in the lead. The alliance was also ahead in the general secretary post. The ABVP was leading in the posts of vice-president and joint secretary. Speaking to The Indian Express, Nitish Kumar said, 'If I win, the first thing I will work on is pushing for more funding in JNU — there have been a lot of fund cuts over the past few years. I will work towards improving the university's infrastructure. We will also work towards bringing back the JNUEE exam for admissions; push to eradicate the CPO manual, which imposes fines on students for dissent and protests; and push for women students to get single-seater accommodation in the second year.' Referring to the rise of the ABVP on campus, he added, 'The last time the ABVP entered the panel in 2015-16, JNU suffered an image of anti-nationalism. This time, we, as a union, will not let that happen.' The ABVP claimed a 'historic' performance in the councillor elections — it said it had won 23 out of 42 councillor seats across JNU's 16 schools and special centres. In a statement issued Sunday, the organisation said it had broken into the traditionally Left-dominated bastions of the School of Social Sciences and the School of International Studies — winning two out of five seats in each. 'In the School of Social Sciences, considered a centre of Left influence in JNU, ABVP secured two seats for the first time in 25 years, signaling a historic shift,' the ABVP claimed. On the trends, ABVP JNU unit president Rajeshwar Kant Dubey said: 'It is the result of our commitment to nationalism, academic excellence and student welfare. We shall continue to work with complete dedication to make the campus a centre of nation-building and student welfare.' The ABVP's likely gains come at a time when the previously united Left front entered the polls divided, with the Students' Federation of India (SFI) forming a separate alliance from the AISA-DSF coalition. Although SFI had historically maintained a stronghold in JNU politics, the university's electoral landscape shifted after 2012, when JNUSU elections resumed following a Supreme Court ruling. In the years since, AISA often emerged as the stronger Left force on campus. The ABVP last held a central panel seat in 2015-16, when it grabbed the post of Joint Secretary by defeating the AISA candidate by a narrow margin of 28 votes. Since then, the United Left — comprising AISA, SFI, DSF, and AISF — had secured all four key posts in 2016 and maintained dominance in most years thereafter. Polling for the four central posts was held on Friday, with results trickling in by Sunday evening. A total of 7,906 students were eligible to vote this year — 57% male and 43% female — with the voter turnout close to 70%, slightly lower than last year's turnout of around 73%.
