KOCHI: ‘Laal Salaam Comrade!’ was the resounding cry that echoed through the corridors of the iconic Maharaja’s College on Tuesday when Student’s Federation of India (SFI) whitewashed the union elections, winning all 14 seats. The election running high on sentiments after the Abhimanyu incident in which an SFI activist was brutally murdered by fringe elements in July.
The ferocious SFI campaign highlighting the need to eradicate communal forces from college campuses found resonance among the voters as the Left party was able to secure an absolute winning margin. Arun Jagadeeshan, Shilpa K B, Rethu Krishnan were elected as the chairman, vice-chairman and general secretary, respectively of the college union.
“We fought the election to carry forward our comrade Abhimanyu’s vision of thwarting communal forces from our college campuses. We dedicate this result to Abhimanyu and are delighted to have secured one of the biggest victories in decades” said Arun.
Sachu Kuriakose, district secretary, CPM, said Abhimanyu murder just shook up the consciousness of the masses in Kerala. “We were able to get across this powerful message against rising communal forces in our college campuses. As a result, we were able to secure all the seats in 27 college union elections in the district,” said Sachu.
SFI reigned supreme in 45 out of 49 college union elections in the district when the majority of the results were announced on Tuesday. A few colleges that voted for the Left include Government Law College, Sanskrit College and RLV College of Music and Fine Arts, Tripunithura, Government College Vypin, Aquinas College, Edacochin, S S College Poothotta, Nirmala College Mulanthuruthy, Mar Athanasius, Kothamangalam and Saint Albert’s, Kochi.