JNUSU results: Left Unity wins three posts, ABVP makes comeback with one post insidelooknews

JNUSU president Nitish Kumar from AISA (centre), vice-president Manisha (left) and general secretary Munteha Fatima, both from DSF, on Monday.
| Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP

In closely contested polls, both rival student groups — the Left Unity panel and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) — made it to the central panel of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), with the Left Unity clinching three posts and ABVP making a comeback after 10 years by securing victory in one post.

The Left Unity’s Nitish Kumar of All India Students’ Association (AISA) won the president’s post, while Manisha and Munteha Fatima from the Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) won the vice-president and general secretary posts respectively. Meanwhile, ABVP’s Vaibhav Meena secured the post of joint secretary. ABVP also said that it had won 24 councillor posts out of 42.

This year, the United Left split into two blocks with Students’ Federation of India (SFI) forming the Left-Ambedkarite panel with Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA), All India Students’ Federation (AISF) and Progressive Students’ Association (PSA); and All India Students’ Association (AISA) allying with Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) to form the Left Unity panel.

Close battle

The two sides saw a neck-and-neck battle with low margins determining the results. While Mr. Kumar beat ABVP’s presidential candidate Shikha Swaraj by a margin of 272 votes, the new JNUSU vice-president Ms. Manisha beat ABVP’s candidate Nitthu Goutham by 34 votes, and general secretary Ms. Munteha emerged victorious with 114 votes more than ABVP’s Kunal Rai.

Meanwhile, ABVP’s Mr. Meena beat Left Unity candidate Naresh Kumar for the joint secretary post by only 85 votes.

JNUSU joint secretary Vaibhav Meena from ABVP.
| Photo Credit:
SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP

JNU has been a stronghold for both AISA and SFI. Both groups have been fighting together since 2016 under the United Left alliance with the aim of collectively combating the RSS-affiliated ABVP. The last ABVP candidate to have won a post in the central panel was Saurabh Sharma, who was elected as the joint secretary in 2015.

Soon after the declaration of results, ABVP said that it was unfurling the “saffron flag in JNU” and “breaching the Left’s red fortress”.

Tense collaboration

Mr. Meena, who hails from Rajasthan and has a tribal background, said, “My win is not personal achievement but a massive victory of tribal consciousness and the nationalist ideology, which has been suppressed by the Left in this varsity for years.” He said that the ABVP is committed to a vision of JNU where “dialogue, inclusivity and academic excellence are paramount”. “We will be fighting for campus issues, and we have the backing of the councillors, so the Left will have to work with us this coming term,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Left Unity said that ABVP’s win needs to be viewed against the larger backdrop of “structural changes” in JNU.

While the Left Unity post-holders said that they hope to address the issue of fund cuts, accessibility and infrastructure, particularly in libraries and laboratories, they said they are apprehensive of a lack of coordination.

“Last time, Saurabh Sharma did not coordinate with the left and led a campaign to shut down JNU. We will put efforts into working together and hope a similar situation doesn’t arise,” Mr. Kumar said.

Ms. Manisha said, “When it comes to fund cuts for infrastructure, ABVP will protest but not do anything about it. Their government is in power so they should be able to secure it. But unlike them, we will work towards securing funds for better infrastructure.”