Left rules JNU again

The Left alliance scored a decisive victory in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections, defeating the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and winning all four central panel posts.

The alliance comprised of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Students’ Front (DSF). Aditi Mishra of AISA was elected president, K Gopika of SFI won the post of vice president, Sunil Yadav of DSF became the general secretary, and Danish Ali of AISA won the joint secretary position.

Mishra, who won against ABVP candidate Vikas Patel by a margin of 414 votes, became one of the youngest women to hold the top JNUSU post in recent years. “We will work to strengthen campus democracy and defend student rights,” she said after the results. Mishra, who hails from Varanasi, is a well-known figure in student activism.

Before joining JNU, she completed her bachelor’s degree in economics from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and a master’s in South Asian studies from Pondicherry University. Her political journey began during the 2017 BHU protests against sexual harassment and gender restrictions on campus.

The polls on Tuesday saw energetic participation across the campus, with students queuing at booths, beating drums, and chanting slogans throughout the day. The elections saw a voter turnout of 67 per cent, slightly lower than last year’s 70 per cent. With this result, the Left Unity consolidating its hold over the campus for another term.