JNU Student Union Elections: Left Unity Coalition Secures Victory Across Central Panel

In a resounding victory, the Left Unity coalition secured a clean sweep in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student union elections, clinching all four central panel positions: president, vice president, general secretary, and joint secretary. The results, announced on Sunday, marked the culmination of the first student body elections at the university since 2019, following a hiatus due to the pandemic.

For these elections, a coalition of Left student parties, including the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), and the All India Students’ Federation (AISF), formed a united front known as the Left Unity. They contested against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), as well as other parties like the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and the Samajwadi Chatra Sangathan (SCS).

A total of 19 candidates vied for positions on the central panel, with eight candidates competing for the presidency. Dhananjay, representing the Left, emerged victorious as president, defeating ABVP’s Umesh Chandra Ajmeera by a margin of 922 votes. The coalition's Avijit Ghosh, Priyanshi Arya, and Mohammad Sajid secured wins for the vice president, general secretary, and joint secretary posts respectively.

Dhananjay, a PhD student from the School of Arts and Aesthetics and a native of Gaya, Bihar, became the first Dalit JNUSU president since Batti Lal Bairwa in 1996-97. The total electorate comprised 7,751 voters, with a voter turnout of approximately 73%, as reported by the election committee. Notably, provisions for a digital voting system were made to accommodate visually impaired students.

In the lead-up to the elections, candidates outlined their platforms during a presidential debate, focusing on campus infrastructure improvements and safety measures. Dhananjay, reflecting on the victory, emphasized a rejection of "politics of hate and violence" and pledged to address student concerns, including women's safety, funding cuts, and infrastructural challenges. The victory celebrations saw supporters rallying behind the winning candidates, waving flags, smeared in hues of red and chanting slogans in jubilation.