In keeping with the age-old tradition of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections, the university organised a night-long presidential debate on Wednesday night to woo voters on the Jhelum Lawns.
The debate, which began at around 10 pm, drew thousands of students and faculty members.
All India Students’ Association presidential candidate Akbar Choudhry assured the students that if elected he will look into the issues faced by the students of JNU.
Akbar, an M. Phil student, claimed he will fight for increased merit-cum-means scholarship for students. He also vowed to formulate policies and bring draw policies to ensure women’s rights are taken care of on the campus.
Akbar, one among the 10 candidates fighting for the top post, said ‘I would ensure that everything possible was done to secure the release of Hem Mishra.’ Mishra is JNU student who was arrested by the Maharashtra police alleging he was Maoists’ official courier.
Gourab Ghosh, Students Federation of India candidate, who openly declared himself gay, also gave a fiery speech to woo voters.
On the other hand, the presidential candidate of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad Alok Kumar slammed the Left organisation and also the NSUI for not addressing the students’ concerns.