27

Mar

Understanding JNU Student Union Election Results

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Today’s Edition

New Delhi, 27 March 2024

Dr Satish Misra

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It was no ordinary electoral battle in the country’s prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University whose results on Sunday clearly showed that youth of the country is ready to fight back the RSS-BJP onslaught on Constitution and the Idea of India-a legacy of the freedom movement.    

Enormity and significance of the electoral outcome needs to be seen and understood in the background of the systematic design of the Modi government to dismantle, destruct and finally destroy an premier institution which in many ways represents the soul of Bharat that is India because students here come from different parts of the country hailing from all possible socio-economic backgrounds. JNU is indeed a micro India.   

A clean sweep by the United Left panel on Sunday in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union JNUSU election, defeating its nearest rival the RSS-affiliated ABVP is a categorical message from aspiring young Indians they want

Yet another glorious dimension of the election on Sunday is that students went for a Dalit president from the Left-backed groups after nearly three decades.

Established in April 1970, the JNU has been opposed and hated by the RSS as is evident in the editorial policy of the Sangh’s mouthpiece ‘Organiser” and Panchjanya. What had rankled the RSS hierarchy was the spirit of questioning that was the guiding light of the first Vice Chancellor of the University G Parthasarthy. “Not to accept anything or any issue blindly without a debate or reasoning”, was the guiding principle of the newly founded institution. This was an anathema rather a strict ‘No’ for the RSS which had a command structure and had no place for a debate.   

The university had its first student union election in 1971 itself and the Student Federation of India (SFI)-Student wing of the CPI (M) won the confidence of the students. Thereafter, all shades of the political spectrum particularly from the Centre to the ultra-Left dominated the political firmament of the JNU. The right wing forces found no fertile ground and remained a marginal force at the campus but after the coming of power of the BJP government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the right wing forces backed by the University administration began to grow.                           

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.

Dhananjay hails from Gaya, Bihar, and is the first Dalit president from the Left after Batti Lal Bairwa, who was elected in 1996-97.

Speaking to the media after the win, Dhananjay said, "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.

"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.

Amid cries of 'Lal Salaam' and 'Jai Bhim', the winning students were hailed by their supporters. Red, white and blue flags were waved by the students to celebrate the victory of the candidates.

Avijit Ghosh from the Students' Federation of India (SFI) trounced ABVP's Deepika Sharma by 927 votes to win the vice-president's post. Ghosh received 2,409 votes as against 1,482 votes by Sharma.

Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA) candidate Priyanshi Arya, who was supported by the Left, won the general secretary post by defeating ABVP's Arjun Anand by 926 votes. Arya polled in 2,887 votes while Anand received 1961 votes.

The readiness and alacrity with which the United Left extended support after its candidate Swati Singh’s candidature was cancelled by the University administration at 2 in the night hours before the elections were to take place shows that there exists an understanding to the dangers that student community is facing currently. The move by the Left was a sign of steady mind and clear comprehension of the prevailing political environment in the country.  

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.

The United Left panel comprises AISA, Democratic Students' Federation (DSF), Students' Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students' Federation (AISF).

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union polls on Friday witnessed a voter turnout of 73 per cent, highest in the last 12 years. 

With the Left panel sweeping the polls, the JNU lived up to its reputation of being a Left bastion. The ABVP could give a fight only because the contest was multi-cornered as the Congress student organization NSUI and many independents were also in the fray.

 A big majority of JNU students seems to have given a clarion call to the opposition parties that unity of purpose is essential to defeat forces that are today threatening to dig the foundations and edifice prepared by hard work and toil of generations.(Words 890)

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