NEW DELHI: Amidst chants of “Laal Salaam,” the United Left Panel (AISA, AISF, SFI) and BAPSA celebrate their sweeping victory in all four central panel positions in the JNUSU elections. Marking the dawn of a new era for the JNU Students Union following a four-year hiatus.
Following the counting of 5,656 ballots by the Election Commission, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections have concluded, revealing a new central panel.
Dhananjay from AISA-United Left is elected as President with 2,598 votes, marking the first Dalit president in 27 years, while Umesh Chandra Ajmeera from ABVP secured 1,676 votes. Avijit Ghosh from SFI-United Left becomes Vice President with 2,409 votes, defeating Deepika Sharma from ABVP, who garnered 1,482 votes. Priyanshi Arya, supported by BAPSA-United Left, wins the General Secretary position with 2,887 votes, surpassing Arjun Anand from ABVP with 1961 votes. Mo Sajid from AISF-United Left is elected as Joint Secretary with 2,574 votes, while Govind Dangi from ABVP follows closely with 2,066 votes.
However, controversy marred the JNUSU elections as the United Left Panel’s candidate for General Secretary, Swati Singh, faced last-minute nomination cancellation just hours before polls commenced on March 22, 2024. Singh decried the move as “unfair” and demanded re-elections. In 2023, she was rusticated from campus, a decision later overturned by the High Court. Singh alleged the influence of ABVP in the decision, leading her to embark on a 36-hour hunger strike in protest. In response to Singh’s nomination cancellation, the United Left Panel issued a press statement, stating, “Since the Combined Left candidate for GS is forced out of the race by the ABVP-Administration nexus, we urge the students to vote for the GS candidate Priyanshi from BAPSA.”
A student representative from the Left Unity coalition conveyed to Millennium Post, “Our platform advocates for campus democracy, condemns violence, prioritises the reinstatement of GSCASH, and advocates for an increase in MCM, among other issues. These elections and our union will epitomise the true essence of student solidarity.” Another student representative underscored that the JNUSU should not be viewed as a center of power but rather as a stronghold of resistance, dedicated to amplifying the demands of the students who elected them without hesitation.