An alliance of Left parties swept the JNUSU polls, defeating the ABVP.
Highlights
- CPI(ML)'s Mohit Pandey elected JNU Student Union president
- JNUSU elections held yesterday, recording 59% turnout
- Polls closely watched amid controversy around JNU leader Kanhaiya Kumar
An alliance of communist parties swept student union polls of Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University or JNU, winning all four seats and defeating ABVP, the student's body linked to the ruling BJP, with a considerable margin.
The Left-affiliated groups have been locked in a pitched battle with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) over dominance on campus after a controversial event in February this year and the arrest of three students, including the outgoing JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, in a sedition case.
The alliance between CPI(ML)'s student wing All India Students' Association (AISA), which has enjoyed a strong hold on the campus for years, and Student Federation of India (SFI) of the CPI(M) was a first in the university's 47-year-old history.
Mohit Pandey, 29, of CPI(ML)'s All India Students' Association and CPM's Students Federation of India alliance has been elected as the president of the students' union, securing over 1,800 votes.
"Our victory is a clear message to the Government of India after what happened earlier this year. We will fight against the proxy war which is on by the government against students in various campuses," Mr Pandey said.
Amal PP of the Left alliance has won the seat of vice-president while Tabrez Hasan and Shatarupa Chakarborty have been elected as joint secretary and general secretary respectively.
A
59 per cent voter turnout was recorded during polling on Friday, up by 6 per cent from last year, while a total of 1,140 students voted for none of the candidates using the None of The Above (NOTA) option.
The ABVP however
won three of the top posts of the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) polls, although it was one fewer than the last two years.
Kanhaiya, who had an eventful tenure as the JNUSU president, congratulated his successor.CPM chief Sitaram Yechury also congratulated the Left alliance on Twitter.