HYDERABAD: After eight long years, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has managed to sweep the University of Hyderabad students union elections. This sudden turn in fortunes is sure to boost the ambitions of students body that is looking to capture more colleges and universities.
Though ABVP managed to win Delhi University, it faced defeat in the hands of United Left in Jawaharlal Nehru University. In University of Allahabad, it was defeated by an alliance of Congress and Samajwadi party-backed student organisations. Now, ahead of State elections, it has managed to capture UoH.
UoH has been a bastion of Communist Party of India (Marxist) backed Students Federation of India (SFI) and since 1993, Ambedkar Students Association saw a surge in the campus. The last time ABVP was in power was in 2009-2010.
“We focused on issues pertaining to the students, unlike other organisations that failed to deliver while in power. Their campaigns revolved just around defeating ABVP,” said new UoH president Aarti Nagpal.
Meanwhile, one reason that seems to have ensured ABVP victory is the ideological difference between SFI and ASA over two less known Muslim student organizations - Muslim Students Front, Students Islamic organization - as well as the National Students Union of India.
The ASA decided to ally with NSUI, MSF, SIO and some other Tribal and Bahujan organizations. However, SFI did not want to be part of alliance with MSF, SIO and NSUI and decided to contest separately, thus splitting the anti-ABVP votes.
Speaking on the loss, SFI member, Sanjay Jonnalgadda said, “We thought that if UDA gets its normal vote share, ABVP will also get less number of votes and SFI will win with a thin margin. However, UDA could not garner enough votes.”
ASA-HCU unit President, Samson Gidla, said, “We stand with the oppressed and hence allied with MSF and SIO. SFI was not ready to join the alliance. It seems that members of some of our allies who could not be accommodated in SU posts also voted against us, as ASA got its usual number of votes.”
BJP leaders congratulate ABVP UoH unit on Twitter
Congratulatory wishes poured in from senior BJP leaders on Twitter, for the ABVP UoH unit over its victory in varsity’s SU elections. Some prominent leaders posted congratulatory messages, including Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, National General Secretary of BJP P Muralidhar Rao, National General Secretary of BJP Ramlal, former head of Telangana BJP G Kishan Reddy and BJYM National VP Thakur Ranjit Das