JNU student union polls: Left panel and ABVP neck-and-neck in key central panel posts
As of 10.30 pm, Nitish Kumar, the presidential candidate fielded by AISA and representing the AISA-DSF alliance, was in the lead. The alliance was also ahead in the general secretary post. The ABVP was leading in the posts of vice-president and joint secretary.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Nitish Kumar said, 'If I win, the first thing I will work on is pushing for more funding in JNU — there have been a lot of fund cuts over the past few years. I will work towards improving the university's infrastructure. We will also work towards bringing back the JNUEE exam for admissions; push to eradicate the CPO manual, which imposes fines on students for dissent and protests; and push for women students to get single-seater accommodation in the second year.'
Referring to the rise of the ABVP on campus, he added, 'The last time the ABVP entered the panel in 2015-16, JNU suffered an image of anti-nationalism. This time, we, as a union, will not let that happen.'
The ABVP claimed a 'historic' performance in the councillor elections — it said it had won 23 out of 42 councillor seats across JNU's 16 schools and special centres. In a statement issued Sunday, the organisation said it had broken into the traditionally Left-dominated bastions of the School of Social Sciences and the School of International Studies — winning two out of five seats in each.
'In the School of Social Sciences, considered a centre of Left influence in JNU, ABVP secured two seats for the first time in 25 years, signaling a historic shift,' the ABVP claimed.
On the trends, ABVP JNU unit president Rajeshwar Kant Dubey said: 'It is the result of our commitment to nationalism, academic excellence and student welfare. We shall continue to work with complete dedication to make the campus a centre of nation-building and student welfare.'
The ABVP's likely gains come at a time when the previously united Left front entered the polls divided, with the Students' Federation of India (SFI) forming a separate alliance from the AISA-DSF coalition.
Although SFI had historically maintained a stronghold in JNU politics, the university's electoral landscape shifted after 2012, when JNUSU elections resumed following a Supreme Court ruling. In the years since, AISA often emerged as the stronger Left force on campus.
The ABVP last held a central panel seat in 2015-16, when it grabbed the post of Joint Secretary by defeating the AISA candidate by a narrow margin of 28 votes.
Since then, the United Left — comprising AISA, SFI, DSF, and AISF — had secured all four key posts in 2016 and maintained dominance in most years thereafter.
Polling for the four central posts was held on Friday, with results trickling in by Sunday evening. A total of 7,906 students were eligible to vote this year — 57% male and 43% female — with the voter turnout close to 70%, slightly lower than last year's turnout of around 73%.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
4 hours ago
- News18
Nitish Kumar Will Be CM Again If NDA Wins Bihar, I'm Not Eyeing Deputy Post: Chirag Paswan
Last Updated: Speaking to CNN-News18, Paswan said rumours about Nitish Kumar's health are being blown out of proportion and are not a concern within the NDA Nitish Kumar will take oath as the Chief Minister again if the NDA wins the upcoming Bihar elections, Union Minister and LJP leader Chirag Paswan told CNN-News18 in an interview in Patna. Paswan also said he is not interested in becoming Deputy Chief Minister. This is significant, as there has been considerable speculation over whether the NDA would continue with Nitish Kumar as CM if the alliance wins. 'I am telling you on behalf of the alliance that Nitish Kumar will be the Chief Minister (again)," Paswan told CNN-News18. He said this will be irrespective of how many seats each NDA ally wins. Paswan also reiterated that he wants to contest from an Assembly seat this time, and that his party wants it to be a general seat. 'I am confident that the NDA alliance of five parties is a winning alliance. This time it will be an all-time high historic win for us with more than 225 seats. We have proved ourselves during recent by-polls. We won Belaganj, which the NDA had not won for over three decades," Chirag Paswan said. 'Don't See Myself in Centre': Paswan Paswan also revealed that CM Nitish Kumar had recently asked him if he was 'serious" about contesting the Assembly election. 'He wanted to know which area or Assembly seat I am looking at. I told him I wanted to, and it was my personal wish. I don't see myself too much in the Centre… my whole purpose of entering politics was for Bihar and Biharis. It is not possible to do it while living in Delhi as a third-time MP. So, it is high time I move back to my state," the Union Minister said. Paswan, however, made it clear that he was not aiming for any post like Deputy Chief Minister. 'It does not lure me… this urge of holding a post. If that was my priority, I wouldn't have left the alliance in 2020. Now, after our win and as per the strength of the party, everyone will be given their respective role in the government. I am not aiming for a Deputy CM role. If a situation comes, it will be a party member of ours, not me," he said. Nitish's Health Is Fine: Paswan Chirag Paswan also told CNN-News18 that talk about Nitish Kumar's health 'is being blown totally out of proportion of what it actually is" and dismissed such rumours. 'If it (Nitish's health) were an issue of concern, we would have discussed it inside the alliance. But it is not a concern," he said. Paswan laughed when asked how he harmed Nitish Kumar's party in the 2020 elections after contesting outside the NDA alliance. He, however, explained the context and said he has now buried the hatchet with Nitish Kumar. 'Immediately after the 2019 election, I felt my party and I were being cornered in the alliance. This was the time when my father was not keeping well. I was naïve and new, and they thought I wouldn't be able to pull it off like my father did," he said. 'I was not being asked or told things, and not being kept in the loop. I was not given the space. I have issues and concerns now too, but now I have been given the space inside the alliance to voice and address them," Paswan added. Seat-Sharing And Campaign Paswan told CNN-News18 that seat-sharing in the NDA in Bihar takes time but is eventually done amicably. 'It will be very wrong on my part if I share any figure with you before I do it inside the alliance," he said, when asked about his party's desired number of seats. He said the LJP has a superb strike rate and won all five Lok Sabha seats it contested a year ago, and hence wishes for a number of seats that reflects its performance. 'That is how it should be. Every ally should get seats as per their strength and winnability factor," Paswan said, laying his case for more seats. Paswan said he is holding rallies across the state—in Shahbad, Arrah, Rajgir—and will do one in July in Chhapra, followed by Munger and Gaya. 'This is to charge up our voters and make them understand how beneficial this double-engine government is for our state. PM has already visited Bihar seven times," Paswan said. ECI Campaign The Election Commission's campaign to revise electoral rolls in Bihar and seek documents from voters has been touted by the Opposition as a move to deprive people of their right to vote. Opposition parties have also moved the ECI against it. 'The Opposition is trying to create a perception in Bihar that what the ECI is doing is like nuisance—so that when they lose the Bihar elections now, they can blame this rather than the EVMs, which is a narrative that did not work," Paswan said. Paswan said the ECI is following a process that has been done before, and added that he does not understand why the Opposition is making such a big political issue out of it. 'The voter list has to be sanitised at regular intervals. There are some concerns about documents being available or not. But I think the local administration is more than available to help them with it, and we, as a party organisation, are helping the voters with it. We also have concerns about those who are not part of the voter list," Paswan told CNN-News18. With the NDA gearing up for a high-stakes battle in Bihar, Chirag Paswan's remarks signal a more unified front this time, despite past tensions with Nitish Kumar. About the Author Aman Sharma Aman Sharma, Executive Editor - National Affairs at CNN-News18, and Bureau Chief at News18 in Delhi, has over two decades of experience in covering the wide spectrum of politics and the Prime Minister's More First Published:
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
Saved by a Muslim during 1947 riots, Partition survivor Ram Krishan Singh dies in Patiala at 102
Patiala: Ram Krishan Singh, one of the last surviving witnesses of the Partition, died Tuesday. He was 102. He was from Dhainthal village in Punjab's Patiala district. His life reflected the horrors of communal violence as well as the courage and compassion that persisted amid the chaos. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Born in the early 1920s, Ram Krishan Singh was 22 years of age when the partition took place, which led to violent upheaval in Punjab. In August 1947, a mob killed his father, Jeona Singh, a renowned carpenter and bullock cart manufacturer, in Dhainthal when he refused to abandon their ancestral home. Ram Krishan recalled in an interview with the web channel, Azad Bol Punjabi, four years ago, "My father was murdered during those days of hate. Before the Partition, our village was largely Muslim-dominated, with a few Sikh and Hindu families. Children played in each other's homes. Then, suddenly, everything changed." As communal tensions escalated, Ram Krishan and other family members temporarily fled to nearby Tullewal village for shelter. Meanwhile, Jeona Singh stayed back to guard their home, along with an elderly Nihang Singh in the village. When Muslim families began migrating to Pakistan, a mob entered Dhainthal and killed Jeona Singh in his home. Ram Krishan's grandson, Hardeep Singh Gahir, currently assistant public relations officer in Patiala, recounted that his grandfather later returned in search of his father, only to face the grim reality. Gahir said, "The Nihang Singh who survived told my grandfather that he had to cremate Jeona Singh in a tandoor using cow-dung cakes because there was no safe way to arrange a funeral." During the terror, Ram Krishan's life was spared by an unexpected act of humanity. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now When he and other family members were cornered by an armed group, a Muslim villager intervened to protect him. This stranger's bravery became a story Ram Krishan frequently recounted. Gahir shared, "Even in his last years, he would recall with gratitude how a Muslim man risked his life to save him." The family's life in Dhainthal changed permanently. Jeona Singh's wife, who was pregnant at the time, gave birth to a daughter, Mohinder Kaur, two months after the Partition. Ram Krishan delayed his own marriage until he was 30 as the family rebuilt their lives. He continued the carpentry tradition, and his son Balwinder Singh still practices the craft today, using modernised techniques. Ram Krishan Singh lived quietly in Dhainthal, serving as a witness to history's cruellest chapter and exemplifying resilience. His family says that his memories remained vivid until the end, serving as a reminder that even in times of hatred, acts of kindness can echo across generations. He is survived by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, who remember him as a skilled craftsman, devoted father, and a symbol of survival, gratitude, and reconciliation.
Economic Times
12 hours ago
- Economic Times
SC sub-caste census faces resistance in Bengaluru, BJP threatens stir
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A door-to-door campaign to determine the SC population across the 101 sub-castes has met with resistance in parts of Bengaluru and other urban centres in Karnataka with enumerators facing physical threats and non-cooperation from BJP and sections of residents have also complained that the officials are pasting stickers on the walls of their homes indicating completion of survey without ever talking to are also suspicions some SC families may not have revealed their true sub-caste fearing consequences. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, however, has said they are free to use the QR code or disclose their sub-castes Welfare Minister HC Mahadevappa and Food Minister KH Muniyappa, representing the SC communities, raised the subject at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday and complained to the CM about the non-cooperation from people in CM had in May kicked off the SC census to determine the population across the SC sub-castes and to assess their economic, educational and social backwardness as a precursor to introducing an internal quota. A commission headed by Justice HN Nagamohan Das has been manded to prepare the empirical data and end confusion over overlapping of communities in Adi Karnataka, Adi Andhra and Adi Dravida across the SC-Left (Madiga) and SC-Right (Holeya).The BJP on Thursday threatened to launch a state-wide agitation on August 1 if the government does not come up with an internal reservation policy by then. Former Dy CM Govind Karjol (BJP) said the Basavaraj Bommai government had introduced an internal quota according to the population of sub-castes. Madigas (SC-Left) have been demanding a separate quota within the SC demanding the implementation of Bommai era policy, Karjol said the present exercise seemed like a conspiracy to create confusion and upend the internal quota system.A rational internal quota has been the long pending demand of the most-backward groups in the SC community, who feel left behind in getting opportunities in professional courses and in government jobs. Siddaramaiah's initiative on taking up an SC census follows the Congress-ruled Telangana's successful implementation of an internal quota for SCs, dividing them into three broad Supreme Court had, in August 2024, ruled that states could provide internal reservation within SCs, STs and socially and educationally backward classes to remove inequalities.
