New Delhi, April 25 Brisk voting took place during the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) election on Friday, with the Pahalgam terror attack, fee hike and hostel and library facilities dominating the discourse on campus. The result will be declared on April 28.
Over 7,906 students were eligible to vote in an election which saw major realignments with the long-standing United Left getting splintered.
Talking to IANS, a student said, “We want to counter caste-based mentality in the university.”
“There are people who do not want students to get the benefit of low fee. If such people come to power in JNUSU, I am sure there will be an upward revision of fees annually, just like in the Delhi University,” he said.
He said students are conscious of these issues and are going to express themselves through their vote.
Another voter claimed that there was a strong wave for change in the current election. “We want new hostels and expansion of the library. For this there is a strong demand for a change,” he said.
The All India Students Association (AISA) has allied with the Democratic Students' Federation (DSF), while the Students' Federation of India (SFI) has joined hands with the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA), All India Students' Federation (AISF), and Progressive Students' Association (PSA) to form a separate bloc.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has fielded a full panel comprising Shikha Swaraj for president, Nittu Goutham for vice-president, Kunal Rai for general secretary, and Vaibhav Meena for joint secretary.
As voting started at 9 a,m, enthusiastic students queued up outside the polling station while supporters of various parties continued to shout slogans in last-minute efforts to influence the electorate.
Earlier, the 13 presidential candidates took part in the customary debate on April 23 - a highpoint of the university’s student politics - addressing voters for 10 minutes each.
The overnight debate, that lasted from 11.30 p.m. to 4 a.m. the next morning, began with a two-minute silence as a mark of respect for those killed in the Pahalgam terror attack.
The last JNUSU elections were swept by the Left alliance that won all four posts of President, Vice President, General Secretary and Joint Secretary. A little over 5,600 valid votes were cast in the last election.
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