HYDERABAD: With a voter turn out higher than assembly or general elections in some states, University of Hyderabad (UoH) that witnessed Students Union (SU) polls on Thursday was abuzz as all roads on campus led to polling booths. The election saw 75 percent voter turnout. The election result will be announced on Friday. Over the last few days leading to the SU elections, social media was witness to a bitter battle fought between student organisations involving mud-slinging, digging up of previous comments made on social media, raising questions on a contesting candidate’s personal opinions, trolling and making memes on rival organisations.
As per a few students, this time the usage of flexis and banners by student organisations has been noticed to be at an all time high as they adorned buildings and various open spaces on campus. All the election canvassing climaxed into a showdown between the UoH SU presidential hopefuls as an open debate was held on Tuesday evening between president candidates of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) - OBC Forum panel, Alliance for Social Justice (ASJ), a coalition of left wing and Ambedkarite student organisations and National Students Union of India. The debate was not free of drama as one of the presidential hopefuls spoke in Hindi raising a debate on social media on usage of regional language, Hindi and English imposition between supporters of the three contesting presidents.
However, on the polling day the campus was peaceful as even some of the workers of rival organisations were seen spending time over tea. Candidates contesting for various posts were seen mingling with students. As the elections came to an end, post-election opinion polls were initiated on social media.
UoH SU election outcome has gained nation-wide prominence, especially since last year’s incident of dalit PhD scholar Rohith Vemula committing suicide which sparked allegations of saffronisation of the university.
Not surprisingly, ABVP, known as student wing of RSS has become the arch-rival for student organisations on campus as the left wing and Ambedkarite student organisations, who were bitter about each other came together this year under the coalition of ASJ with motive of defeating ABVP. Even the Congress backed NSUI which fielded a lone candidate has been more vocal about ABVP than the ASJ. Student organisations on campus and Ambedkarite student organisations came together this year with motive of defeating ABVP.