New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union polls recorded a voter turnout of 67 per cent this year, a slight dip from 70 per cent in the previous election. In the 2023–24 polls, the university had witnessed 73 per cent voting -- the highest in the past decade.
The JNU campus came alive on Tuesday with the sound of drums, chants and campaign songs as students queued up to cast their votes in the closely watched elections that will decide the new central panel and school councillors.
Polling began at 9 am and was supposed to continue till 5:30 pm, with a break from 1 pm to 2:30 pm. The results will be announced on November 6, according to the JNUSU election committee.
Twenty candidates are in the fray for the four key central panel posts -- president, vice-president, general secretary and joint secretary. Students have also voted for 42 councillor seats for various schools of the university. Around 9,043 students were eligible to vote this year.
The contest, often viewed as a reflection of national ideological undercurrents, is primarily between the Left Unity and the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
The Left Unity, comprising the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), has fielded Aditi Mishra for president, Kizhakoot Gopika Babu for vice-president, Sunil Yadav for general secretary and Danish Ali for joint secretary.
The ABVP’s panel features Vikas Patel, Tanya Kumari, Rajeshwar Kant Dubey and Anuj for the posts.
While the ABVP has campaigned on themes of “performance and nationalism,” the Left bloc has focused on “inclusion, accessibility and student welfare.”
“The Left unity will win all four central panel seats,” Aishe Ghosh, a former JNUSU president, stated as she campaigned outside a polling booth.
Although voter turnout was modest in the morning, queues grew longer in the afternoon as students, many of whom were first-time voters, arrived with their ID cards to participate in what they described as a festival of democracy.
“Until now, I had only heard about the JNU elections. Witnessing them for the first time feels special. It’s vibrant and serious at the same time,” said Aakansha, a 20-year-old undergraduate student.
A postgraduate student from Kolkata said, “It feels like a celebration. In my previous university, there were no student union polls. Here, it’s like a grand festival of democracy.”
Opinions among voters were divided.
As JNU gears up for polls, students voice mixed views — some back Left groups for activism, while others seek change, citing persistent campus issues despite years of Left dominance.