Left scores in JNUSU polls yet again, first ABVP win in a decade

NEW DELHI: The results of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union elections announced early on Monday showed the United Left alliance of All India Students' Association and Democratic Students' Federation winning three of the four key posts of president, vice-president and general secretary.
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad only won the post of joint secretary, but that win wasn't insignificant. For, it was after nearly a decade that the saffron student organisation had managed to win a central panel seat. That, and grabbing a significant number of councillor seats in the university's 16 schools and special centres, was enough for ABVP to describe its performance as "historic".


The April 25 election had seen a turnout of nearly 70%. The early trends saw ABVP leading in all central posts, but eventually the United Left secured the posts of president, vice-president and secretary positions. Nitish Kumar (AISA-DSF) garnered 1,702 votes to win the president's post, defeating Shikha Swaraj (ABVP) who secured 1,430 votes and C Taiyyaba Ahmed (SFI-AISF) who received 918 votes.
For the vice-president's post, Manisha (AISA-DSF) edged out Nittu Gautam (ABVP) with 1,150 votes against the latter's 1,116 votes, while Santosh Kumar (SFI-AISF) got 814 votes and Mohammad Kaif (Fraternity Movement) 939 votes.
Munteha Fatima (AISA-DSF) clinched the race to become the new general secretary with 1,520 votes against the 1,406 of Kunal Rai (ABVP). Ramnivas Gurjar (SFI-AISF) got 675 votes. Independent candidate Yari Nayam, representing the Northeast, put up a strong fight, receiving 1,184 votes.
The joint secretary's post was secured by Vaibhav Meena (ABVP), who collected 1,518 votes against Naresh Kumar (AISA-DSF), who got 1,433. Nigam Kumari (SFI-AISF) was close third with 1,256 votes. The last time ABVP had won a JNUSU central panel post was in 2015-16 when it won the post of joint secretary.
The announcement of the results was met with colours, sounds and emotions on the campus. The brick walls and shady trees of JNU echoed with chants and slogans as animated supporters of the different student outfits flooded the pathways and lawns, holding aloft flags, beating dhols and drums and cheering in loud voices. Faces were painted in alliance colours and students climbed onto ledges and walls to lead the chants, fists pumping in the air.
The pre-election split in the Left formation over the presidential candidate saw the Students' Federation of India (SFI), All India Students' Federation (AISF), Birsa Munda Phule Ambedkar Students' Union (BAPSA) and Progressive Students' Association (PSA) deciding to contest as a separate grouping. It was this eventually that gave ABVP the advantage in the joint secretary's fight.
"It is indeed a matter of concern that the ABVP won the post of joint secretary with a thin margin of 85 votes. The last time the RSS-affiliated group won any central panel post was in 2015-16 after leading the movement to #ShutDownJNU, termed JNU students anti-national and made an all-out assault on the educational rights of students and perpetrated violence on campus," said AISA in a statement.
SFI similarly said, "The results of the JNUSU election are a reflection of the fragmentation of the progressive and Left forces on campus, and this is the primary reason for ABVP claiming one seat and only some votes away from victory in other posts."
In 2015-16, Saurabh Sharma was the ABVP candidate to have triumphed in the joint secretary's post. Since then, ABVP hadn't won any central panel position. In 2016-17, Left student organisations came together as an alliance and have dominated. However, this year's split between AISA and SFI over fielding a presidential candidate allowed ABVP to squeeze through on one post.
The newly elected JNUSU president, Kumar, is a 26-year-old PhD student at the Centre for Political Studies. He comes from a farming family belonging to the OBC community in Bihar's Araria district. Manisha, who won the vice-president post, is a PhD student in East Asian Studies at School of International Studies. Fatima, the new general secretary, is a PhD student in the Centre for West Asian Studies at SIS. Joint secretary Meena is from Karauli in Rajasthan and is a PhD student in Hindi at the School of Languages.
In a statement on Sunday, ABVP asserted that it had made significant inroads into traditionally Left-dominated strongholds, such as the School of Social Sciences and SIS, winning two out of five councillor seats in each. However, AISA contested ABVP's claims to 23 of 46 councillor posts, alleging it had falsely inflated its numbers by including independent candidates as part of its tally in an attempt to project majority support among students.