NEW DELHI: The Left alliance appeared headed for a sweeping victory in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections after the first round of counting on Wednesday evening, taking early leads in all four central panel posts.
The counting of votes is underway amid high enthusiasm and colourful campaigning across the campus.
The elections, held on Tuesday, saw students voting to elect the new central panel and school councillors across the campus. By around 9 pm, members of the united Left bloc had begun posting on social media, declaring a strong comeback for the Left in the JNUSU polls — potentially the first major victory since 2018. Meanwhile, in the councillor elections, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had won 12 of the 23 councillor seats after the first round of counting, which continued till late evening.
This year, 9,043 students were eligible to vote. The contest featured four major student groups — the Left alliance comprising the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Students’ Association (AISA), and Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF); the ABVP; the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA); and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), along with the Progressive Students’ Association (PSA).
The Left bloc fielded Aditi Mishra for president, Kizhakoot Gopika Babu for vice-president, Sunil Yadav for general secretary, and Danish Ali for joint secretary. The ABVP panel comprised Vikas Patel, Tanya Kumari, Rajeshwar Kant Dubey, and Anuj. BAPSA’s Raj Ratan Rajoriya, NSUI’s Vikash, and PSA’s Vijayalaxmi Shinde were also in the fray for the top post.
The voter turnout stood at 67%, slightly lower than last year’s 68.3%. In 2024, the turnout had reached 73%, the highest in over a decade.
The final results of the JNUSU elections are expected to be announced on Thursday.