JNUSU Election Counting: Left Unity And ABVP In Tight Race

Counting for the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) elections is underway, with early trends indicating a tight contest between Left Unity and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for the four central panel positions.

According to PTI, after 4,340 votes were counted on Thursday, Left Unity’s Aditi Mishra leads the presidential race with 1,375 votes, followed by ABVP’s Vikas Patel at 1,192 and Progressive Students’ Association (PSA) candidate Shinde Vijayalakshmi with 915 votes.

In the vice-president contest, Left Unity’s K Gopika Babu maintains a strong lead with 2,146 votes, while ABVP’s Tanya Kumari trails with 1,437 votes, PTI reported.

The general secretary race remains close, with ABVP’s Rajeshwar Kant Dubey slightly ahead on 1,496 votes, compared to Left Unity’s Sunil Yadav, who has 1,367 votes. The joint secretary post is similarly competitive, with Left Unity’s Danish Ali at 1,447 votes and ABVP’s Anuj Damara marginally ahead at 1,494, PTI added.

Sources told PTI that around 1,500 votes are yet to be counted, with the final results expected later on Thursday.

Earlier, ABVP claimed it had won 14 of the 26 declared councillor seats, describing it as a “clean sweep” in three schools.

The JNUSU elections, held on Tuesday, recorded a 67 per cent voter turnout, slightly lower than last year’s 70 per cent. The elections saw active participation, with students beating drums, chanting slogans, and queuing at polling booths across the campus.

Widely seen as a reflection of the ideological divide on campus, the contest is primarily between Left Unity, which comprises the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), and the RSS-affiliated ABVP.

The Election Committee has stated that the final results are likely to be announced on Thursday night, PTI reported.

(With inputs from PTI)