Left, Right, Left

Ousting the All India Students’ Association (AISA) after two years, the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) clinched the presidential position here on Sunday in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections.

Breaking the Left bastion at the prestigious institute, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the Bharatiya Janata Party student wing, made a comeback at the central panel after 14 years by securing the post of joint secretary.

The AISA managed to retain two of four seats in the central panel. AISF’s Kanhaiya Kumar was declared president, defeating AISA’s Vijay Kumar by a slim margin of 67 votes. Shehla Rashid Shora and Rama Naga of AISA won the second and third spots of the vice-president and general secretary respectively, defeating their ABVP opponents. Defeating the AISA by just 27 votes, the ABVP’s Saurabh Kumar Sharma won the post of joint secretary.

The ABVP, which has gradually been making its presence felt in the JNU campus, won a seat after more than a decade, although its representatives secure posts as councillors every year. The party last secured a berth at the JNU central panel in 2001, when Sambit Patra, the current BJP national spokesperson, was elected president.

While Delhi University has seen a tussle for power between the ABVP and the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the Congress student wing, the ABVP’s emerging presence at JNU is considerably important since JNUSU polls have always been keenly contested by several Left-backed parties.

Last year, the ABVP ranked second in the posts of vice-president and general secretary, losing to the AISF.

Congratulating the JNU and DU students’ unions, BJP national secretary Amit Shah issued a release later in the day stating that both institutes were representative of India.

“DU and JNU are like mini India and students come here from all parts of the country to fulfil their dreams. Therefore, this victory represents the thinking of the youth of India and it reflects how the youth of the country have lapped the ongoing projects and given their support to these projects, run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said in the release.

Acknowledging the ABVP’s rising presence, AISA national president and former JNU president Sucheta De said her party was not deterred by the ABVP.

“Although I do not anticipate a bigger rise of the ABVP, there has been an influx of ABVP supporters in the campus after the BJP came to power at the Centre. Their presence is certainly increasing,” Ms. De said, adding that the AISF is yet to look into why its popularity had dimmed.

Attributing the ABVP’s increasing popularity to the Narendra Modi government, AISF’s Ruby Singh said a lot of students had pledged their support to the Right-wing outfit for personal benefits.

“The politics at JNU has always been Left-oriented. There has been a considerable increase in the popularity of ABVP since last year. The lack of unity among Left parties is to blame for their rise. Students were losing confidence in the AISF as they are yet to fulfil their promises, including increasing hostel accommodation,” she said.

Congratulating the AISF for its ‘resounding’ success, the Delhi State Council of its parent body — the Communist Party of India — issued a release later in the day stating that “along with the AISF and all others in JNU, the JNU community not only fights for the rights of the students and fulfilled its demand’s but also fight the danger of communalism in the country and in the institutions of education”.

Thirty-one councillors from several schools of JNU were elected at the elections held on Friday. A total of 22 candidates contested for the central panel. Counting of votes concluded on Sunday morning. This year, polling percentage stood at 53 per cent, slightly lower than last year’s 55 per cent.

Although I do not anticipate a bigger rise of the ABVP, there has been an influx of ABVP supporters in the campus after the BJP came to power at the Centre. Their presence is certainly increasing