Guwahati: The Left Unity alliance clinched three key positions in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections, while the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) made a notable return by winning one post, its first central panel victory in ten years.
Celebrations broke out across the campus throughout the night, with red and saffron flags symbolizing the ideological divide.
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Nitish Kumar from the All India Students’ Association (AISA) won the President’s post. Manisha and Muntaha, both from the Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), secured the Vice-President and General Secretary posts, respectively.
This year, AISA joined forces with DSF after parting ways with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI).
ABVP’s Vaibhav Meena, who hails from Rajasthan and belongs to a Scheduled Tribe community, won the post of Joint Secretary.
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His victory marks a significant moment for the student organization, making him the first ABVP member to win a central panel post since 2015. The group also claimed to have secured 24 out of 42 councillor seats.
The last major win for ABVP came in 2015 when Saurabh Sharma won the Joint Secretary post. Prior to that, in 2000, Sandeep Mahapatra became ABVP’s last presidential winner.
This year’s elections saw a shift in alliances within the Left bloc.
SFI aligned with the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA), All India Students Federation (AISF), and Progressive Students Association (PSA) to form a Left-Ambedkarite coalition.
Meanwhile, AISA collaborated with DSF under the continuing banner of Left Unity.
JNU has long been a left-leaning stronghold, with AISA and SFI securing multiple terms in past student union elections.
Since 2016, both groups have joined forces under the Left Unity alliance to actively counter ABVP’s influence, an organization affiliated with the RSS.
ABVP had viewed the split among leftist groups as an opportunity to gain ground.
After the results were declared, the organization declared it had “breached the red fortress” and “unfurled the saffron flag” in JNU.
Reacting to his win, Vaibhav Meena said, “This is not just a personal victory but a historic moment for tribal identity and nationalist thought, which has long been sidelined on campus.”
Ahead of the polls, Left Unity candidates had pledged to prioritize the rollback of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, address deteriorating hostel infrastructure, and push for better campus recruitment opportunities.
In a post-election statement, Left Unity acknowledged its win but warned that the elections were unfolding amid sweeping changes at JNU.
It called on all progressive student bodies to unite in the face of ABVP’s growing presence.