NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi is considered one of the most prestigious institutions of the country but it had hit national headlines for wrong reasons in 2016.
It had attracted special media attention after the "tukde tukde" episode allegedly involving raising of anti-national slogans on the campus during a programme on February 9, 2016.
On that day, some students of the university held a protest against the sentencing to death of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
It was alleged that the then JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and some other office bearers of the Left-dominated body had participated in the programme, which was held despite the University administration withdrawing permission for it shortly before it was to begin because of protests by BJP-affiliated ABVP.
Videos about the programme and the clashes that followed went viral, leading to action against the participants of the event.
Kumar and another student leader Umar Khalid were later arrested by the Delhi police and charged with sedition.
This triggered a political row, with the Opposition parties attacking the BJP government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over it.
The issue subsequently dominated the political scene at the national level and even now continues to be raked up off and on.
Even in these JNUSU polls, the issue figured prominently in ABVP's campaign.
Though immediately after that episode, ABVP could not win even a single post in the JNUSU polls, it gave the BJP-affiliate an issue to build its base on the campus, which has traditionally been a stronghold of the Left.
In the last elections JNUSU elections, N. Sai Balaji won after the Left parties got united but ABVP was a powerful contender.
This year, the elections have been marred by controversy, because of which the Delhi High Court has put a stay on declaration of results till September 17.
The stay came after two students approached the court, alleging that the Lyngdoh Committee Rules were being flouted in the conduct of JNUSU polls.
Voting took place on September 6 and the results were expected by September 8.