Clean sweep as AISA-SFI-DSF beats ABVP JNUSU polls: Left alliance wins all central panel posts; bags a majority of councillor seats

The All India Students’ Association-Students’ Federation of India-Democratic Students’ Front (AISA-SFI-DSF) alliance bagged the resounding victory even after being formed following several ruptures this year.

AISA’s Aditi Mishra won the post of the President by securing 1,937 votes. With 3,101 votes, SFI’s K Gopika was declared the Vice-President. Sunil Yadav of the DSF secured 2,005 votes and the post of the General Secretary, while AISA’s Danish Ali, with 2,083 votes, was declared the new Joint Secretary.

The Left Bloc has been declared the clear winner each time since 2016 — barring last year. Its members also bagged the majority of the 47 Student Councillors seats in various JNU schools.

This year, around 9,000 students were eligible to vote. At 67%, however, the voter turnout this time was slightly lower than previous year’s 70%, and the decade-high of 73% recorded in 2023–2024.

Talking to The Indian Express, Mishra said, “We hope to make the administration accountable, raise funds… especially that pool in from the Centre. The challenges are many… major issues like inadequate seating capacity in the library, and education rights will be addressed, ” Reinstating Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) will also be prioritised, she said.

Gopika told The Indian Express, “The students have given a clear mandate. The politics of violence and anti-reservation will not be tolerated…” She said she would push for more funds, work on improving labs and other infrastructure, fight against “privatisation” or “fee-hike” and guard against “any attack on education rights”.

ABVP’s presidential candidate Vikas Patel, told The Indian Express, “I had to face a lot of hurdles to fight the elections as the administration had not been accepting my nomination.” He added that it was a close fight and stressed that basic issues like women’s health, hygiene, infrastructure and sports facilities, as well as funding, need to be addressed.

Meanwhile, a statement by the SFI stated: “By electing the Left Unity panel, the students of JNU have once again reaffirmed their commitment to the university’s progressive, democratic, and secular legacy. This resounding mandate reflects a clear and conscious rejection of right-wing authoritarianism and a continued assertion of JNU’s role as a bastion of critical thought and resistance.”

Hyma G S, a first-year Master’s degree student, said, “Nothing was certain till the last moment. In JNU, it is not like DUSU elections anymore where the results are very clear from the beginning…”

A PhD student from JNU’s School of Social Sciences said, “Unless there is a political will on a larger scale, there is little hope, even with the Left’s victory. Even a change of governance may not reverse the trend of surveillance and suppression of free thought and exchange of ideas.”

The previous election, held this April, saw the AISA-led Left bagging three central panel positions and the ABVP securing the Joint Secretary’s post. For the first time in a decade, the ABVP had made its way back into the university’s central panel.

Profile of JNU poll winners

Aditi Mishra (AISA), President

A PhD scholar at JNU’s Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory, Mishra hails from UP’s Varanasi. She took part in the 2017 BHU protests against women’s hostel curfew timings, and the anti-CAA protests. She was also an activist at Pondicherry University in 2018.

Kizhakoot Gopika Babu (SFI), Vice-President

A PhD scholar at the Centre for the Study of Law & Governance, Babu hails from Kerala’s Thrissur. She has defeated Tanya Kumari by the highest vote margin of more than 1000 votes for this year’s elections. In 2024, she won the post of Councillor of the School of Social Sciences.

Sunil Yadav (DSF), General Secretary

A PhD scholar at JNU’s Centre for European Studies,Yadav is a first-generation graduate from Bedipur village in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district. He completed his Master’s in 2021 from JNU and has been actively participating in student politics.

Danish Ali (AISA), Joint Secretary

A PhD scholar from JNU’s Centre for Historical Studies, Ali is from Bandarbarru in Madhya Pradesh’s Narsinghpur district. After finishing her UG in History from Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, she went to Central Hindu School in 2022 to earn a Master’s degree.

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