JNU election: The Left party achieved a landslide victory in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Students’ Union Election, securing all four seats. The election took place on Friday, March 22 this year, marking the return of the students’ union after a four-year hiatus. Here are the top ten updates about the JNUSU results:
1. In the polls that happened after a hiatus of four years, Dhananjay from the All India Students’ Association (AISA) won the JNUSU president’s post by securing 2,598 votes against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad’s (ABVP) Umesh C Ajmeera who secured 1,676 votes.
2. Dhananjay hails from Gaya, Bihar, and is the first Dalit president from the Left after Batti Lal Bairwa, who was elected in 1996-97. Dhananjay told PTI, “This victory is a referendum by the students of JNU that they reject the politics of hate and violence. The students have once again shown their trust in us. We will continue to fight for their rights and work on issues that concern students.”
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3. “The safety of women on campus, fund cuts, scholarship hike, infrastructural and water crisis are among the top priorities of the students union to begin with,” he added.
4. Amidst chants of ‘Lal Salaam’ and ‘Jai Bhim’, victorious students were cheered on by their supporters. They waved flags in red, white, and blue to mark the triumph of their chosen candidates. Avijit Ghosh, representing the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), secured a decisive victory over ABVP’s Deepika Sharma in the vice-president’s race. Ghosh garnered 2,409 votes, surpassing Sharma’s 1,482 votes by a margin of 927.
5. “For the post of General Secretary, the names of candidates are Arjun Anand (ABVP)- 1961 votes, Fareen Zaidi- 436 votes, Priyanshi Arya (BAPSA, Left Supported)- 2887 votes…I declare Priyanshi Arya (BAPSA, Left Supported) elected,” the JNU Election Committee Chairperson said, as reported by ANI.
6. Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA) candidate Priyanshi Arya, who was supported by the Left, won the general secretary post’s by defeating ABVP’s Arjun Anand by 926 votes. Arya polled in 2,887 votes while Anand received 1961 votes.
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7. The United Left extended its support to Arya after the Election Committee cancelled the nomination of its candidate Swati Singh when her candidacy was challenged by the ABVP. The Left’s Mohammad Sajid won the joint secretary’s post by defeating ABVP’s Govind Dangi by 508 votes. His was the lowest victory among all the four winners.
8. With the Left panel sweeping the polls, the JNU lived up to its reputation of being a Left bastion. The ABVP gave a neck-and-neck fight and was leading on all four central panel posts in the initial trends.
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9. The United Left panel comprises AISA, the Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students’ Federation (AISF). The JNUSU polls on Friday witnessed a voter turnout of 73 per cent, the highest in the last 12 years.
10. In the previous JNUSU election held in 2019, Aishe Ghosh, representing the left-wing student organization SFI, emerged victorious. During this election, the left-leaning student groups formed a coalition known as the United-Left Alliance, which comprised the AISA, the SFI, the DSF, and the AISF, to contest the polls together.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 25 Mar 2024, 07:02 AM IST