NEW DELHI: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is yet to announce the official dates for the students’ union election. However, a notification from the university administration has assured that the election will be conducted, after a hiatus of four years. Meanwhile, a tiff between two student organizations on the campus, the SFI-led JNUSU (JNU students’ union) and the ABVP suggests that elections spirits are already high.
ABVP was the only organization to not attend the all-organisation talks held on Monday with the Dean of Students (DoS), JNUSU leaders alleged the “undemocratic” ABVP has always run away from democratic discussions.
“They (ABVP) refused to participate in the all-organization meeting called by the JNUSU administration and student organizations in JNU. The height of betrayal was when they boycotted the University General Body Meeting conducted on September 18, 2023,” said Aishe Ghosh, JNUSU president.
Responding to the allegations, ABVP’s media convener Adarsh said, “The compromiser communists of JNU have once again devised a cunning plan to rob JNU students of their political rights to electoral representation. The left organisations have kneeled down before the DoS instead of questioning the role of the DoS in the JNUSU election.”
He further said, “We believe that the JNU election must be a completely student-led election conducted by the election commission, fully comprising of students. We condemn such thuggery by the leftist on campus in collusion with the DoS; both of whom want the JNUSU election to be stalled and consequently steal the rights to political representation of students. We are forced to ask: Why is the DoS office being unnecessarily involved in JNUSU elections? Why are the left organisations legitimising the interference of the administration? Isn’t this a deadly blow to the autonomy of JNUSU?
Meanwhile, the JNU authority on Monday asked students’ organisations to conduct the General Body Meeting, a crucial step before union elections can be held.