JNUSU elections: Left maintains foothold; ABVP bags joint secretary post, first time in 9 years

The Left alliance maintained its foothold in Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) elections as it won three out of four posts: President, Vice-President, General Secretary. Meanwhile, ABVP bagged the joint secretary post, marking its major comeback after 9 years.

Nitish Kumar (AISA) was elected President, Manisha (DSF) secured the Vice-President's post, and Munteha Fatima (DSF) won the position of General Secretary. Vaibhav Meena (ABVP) was declared winner for Joint Secretary post.

JNUSU polls: What do elected leaders have to say?

“We will work for the students and their welfare. The aim is to ensure that the voice of every student is heard and respected,” Kumar, newly-elected President said.

“The credit for this win goes to the university... JNU laal tha aur laal hi rahega...We always worked for the students and raised their voices, and we will continue doing this work in future too…” Vice-President Manisha stated.

“We will continue to fight for the rights of the students, as we have always done,” Munteha remarked.

Joint Secretary Vaibhav Meena said, “We have won this after a decade, and ABVP will win all the four seats in the next election. This victory is a stepping stone for further successes.”

About JNUSU elections

The elections were conducted on April 25 after court and administrative intervention, which were initially scheduled for April 18. The premier university faced postponement due to campus violence and saw a turnout of nearly 70%. Dean of Students Manuradha Chaudhary had issued a circular stating that the elections must be held in accordance with applicable laws and guidelines.

According to the official data, 7,906 students were eligible to vote this year, with women including 43% and men comprising 57% of the electorate. It received more than 160 nominations for the four central panel posts, while 250 students have registered their nominations for school councillor positions across 16 schools. Polling was held in two sessions—from 9 am to 1 pm and 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. The counting of votes started at the same night.

The United Left alliance secured three of the four central panel posts. Dhananjay was elected as the president, Avijit Ghosh as vice president, Priyanshi Arya as general secretary, and Mo Sajid as joint secretary. The Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA) had won the remaining post.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI)