NEW DELHI: The political atmosphere at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was charged as the presidential debates for the JNUSU (Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union) elections took place ahead of voting on Friday. The campus was alive with drumbeats, flag-waving and slogans as rival camps clashed.
ABVP supporters shouted “Kashmir hamara hai” and “Hindu lives matter,” while AISA supporters responded with chants of “Azadi” and “Lal Salam,” alongside a Palestinian flag. From Pahalgam terror strike to Palestine and CAA-NRC to Waqf Act, the debates, which began around 11.30 pm and continued until 4 am, addressed both local and national issues. The candidates were given ten minutes each to speak. Prior to the speeches, a two-minute silence was held for the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. ABVP’s presidential candidate, Shikha Swaraj, referenced the attack, asking, “To those who say terrorism has no religion—were the victims not asked their faith?”
She positioned ABVP as the “rising sun” of campus politics, criticising the Left with the slogan: “Andhera hai, raat hai… laal andhera chhantega.”
SFI candidate Chaudhary Tayyaba Ahmad focused on Kashmir, questioning the central government’s handling of violence in the region. She also criticised ABVP for “harassing female students” and called for the reinstatement of the Gender Sensitization Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) and an increase in funding for labs and fellowships. NSUI’s Pradeep Dhaka took a broader political approach, connecting issues like the farmers’ protests and the Adani scandal, while AISA’s Nitish Kumar emphasised JNU’s electoral integrity, saying, “This is no mayoral election in Chandigarh to be rigged. This is JNU!”
The political alliances in the election have shifted this year. AISA has joined forces with the Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), while SFI, BAPSA, AISF, and PSA form another bloc. ABVP has fielded a full panel, while AISA-DSF has its own candidates. With 7,906 students eligible to vote, 57% male and 43% female, the contest is both wide-ranging and fiercely personal. Polling will take place in two sessions on April 25. The results will be out on April 28.