AISA sweeps JNUSU polls

All India Students’ Association (AISA), an affiliate of the CPI(ML), on Sunday swept the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) polls bagging all the top four positions, including the president’s post, for the second consecutive year. In a reversal of the results of Delhi University Students Union, while the AISA retained its dominance, BJP-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) gained ground while the CPM-affiliate Students Federation of India (SFI), which for several years dominated JNUSU was further decimated. Retaining its hold over the prestigious students’ body, AISA won the positions of president, vice president, joint secretary and general secretary, defeating candidates from ABVP, Congress-affiliate NSUI, Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Left Progressive Front (LPF), which is an alliance between Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) and All India Students’ Federation (AISF). 

ABVP, which had swept the Delhi University elections held on Friday failed to win any of the four top posts in JNU elections. However, it came second on the posts of vice-president and general secretary. LPF  came second in the other two. Ashutosh Kumar, who won the race for the union president’s post, secured a total of 1,386 votes defeating his nearest rival Rahila Perween, the candidate of LPF by a margin of 377 votes.

Anant Prakash, AISA’s candidate for vice president, won by a margin of over 600 votes defeating ABVP’s Mohammed Jahidul Dewan. AISA’s Chintu Kumari defeated her nearest rival Ashish Kumar Dhanotiya of ABVP by a margin of 814 votes bagging the post of general secretary. Shafqat Hussain Butt was elected as the joint secretary after defeating Mulayam Singh of LPF by 240 votes.