JNU Student Union Elections Achieve 73% Voter Turnout, a 12-Year High

New Delhi, Mar 22 - The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) witnessed a significant turnout for the Students Union (JNUSU) elections on Friday, with a 73 percent voter participation, marking the highest in over a decade. This year's elections, held in two phases due to logistical challenges, saw over 7,700 electors casting their votes through a secret ballot after a four-year break. Despite a delay in polling, which extended the voting process past its intended schedule, the counting of votes is underway, with results expected to be announced on Sunday.

Polling stations across JNU buzzed with activity from 11 am to 7 pm, despite an initial plan for a 9 am start. The atmosphere was vibrant with students from various factions rallying and chanting slogans in support of their candidates. Notably, slogans such as ‘Jai Bheem’, ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, and ‘Lal Salam’ echoed through the campus as students gathered in large numbers at the polling booths.

A total of nineteen candidates contested for positions on the JNUSU central panel, which includes the roles of president, vice president, joint secretary, and general secretary. Additionally, forty-two candidates vied for the position of school counsellors. The United Left alliance nominated Dhananjay for president, Avijit Ghosh for vice president, and Mh Sajid for joint secretary. However, the nomination of Swati Singh for general secretary was revoked following a challenge by ABVP with the varsity's Grievance Redressal Cell (GRC).

Swati Singh protested her disqualification with a hunger strike, demanding re-election and re-nomination for the general secretary post. Her nomination was cancelled late Thursday night, just hours before polling began, based on directives from the GRC committee.

During the election period, differently-abled students also held a hunger strike in response to an alleged derogatory remark made by ABVP's presidential candidate during a Q&A session. The Left's presidential candidate Dhananjay, potentially the first Dalit president from the Left since Batti Lal Bairwa in 1996-67, hails from Gaya, Bihar.

The RSS-affiliated ABVP fielded Umesh Chandra Ajmeera for president. Ajmeera's campaign highlighted his personal tragedy of losing his parents to Naxalite attacks. The Congress-affiliated NSUI nominated Junaid Raza for president and Farheen Zaidi for general secretary. Meanwhile, BAPSA's Biswajit Minji aimed to become the first Adivasi president if elected, drawing inspiration from his parents' struggles as contractual labourers.

The only female contender for the president's post from Samajwadi Chatra Sabha hails from Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district and is focused on combating patriarchy and representing the marginalized on campus.

This year's JNUSU elections not only showcased a diverse array of candidates and political ideologies but also highlighted pressing issues such as representation, accessibility, and student rights. With the results awaited on Sunday, the JNU campus remains abuzz with anticipation and hope for positive change.