JNU election put on hold amid violence

A view of Jawaharlal Nehru University administrative building at the JNU campus in New Delhi. File photo
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Election Committee on Friday (April 18, 2025) announced a temporary suspension of the student union election process following incidents of violence and vandalism at its office. In a notice, the Election Committee cited a “major security lapse” and an “environment of hostility” after two days of violence as reasons to put on hold the poll process.

The release of the final list of candidates has also been deferred. The committee said poll activities will resume only once the safety of its members is assured by both the university administration and student organisations. The All India Students’ Association-Democratic Students’ Federation alliance on Friday blamed the ABVP for “pelting stones, breaking barricades, and chasing committee members to the terrace of the union office last night”.

The RSS-affiliated ABVP claimed that the EC has become a “puppet of the United Left”. “Fearful of the students’ mandate, Leftist groups and their patron organisations have attempted to derail the electoral process by creating an atmosphere of instability and fear,” it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), which is not allied with AISA, is expected to form a separate alliance with the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA) and the All India Students’ Federation (AISF). This alliance has yet to release its final list of candidates.