On new JNUSU president’s agenda: Taking on ‘anti-JNU propaganda’, pushing for higher stipend amount

Speaking to The Indian Express, Dhananjay said, “We are so glad to have elections on our campus after four years. This restores the faith of the entire JNU student community in our country’s democracy. We are so glad that even after a gap of four years, the students of JNU still have faith in the United Left Panel.”

JNUSU General Secretary Priyanshi Arya. (Image Source: X)

Dhananjay, a PhD student from the School of Arts and Aesthetics, studied at Delhi University, where he was part of the protests against the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme. His father is a retired policeman. The reason behind the Left panel’s win, Dhananjay believes, is the “trust the student community has always had in the United Left.”

Dhananjay is the youngest of six siblings in his family which hails from Gaya, Bihar. According to AISA, Dhananjay is the first Dalit JNUSU president in two decades. “…(After facing) caste discrimination… (it) ignited his passion for a good education so that no one else faced the same discrimination that he did,”All India Students Association (AISA) said in a statement.

“His father, a retired policeman, faced caste discrimination at the hands of the villagers, who only addressed him by his caste name and did not give due respect for his role as a policeman. It was due to these experiences, that his father urged him to pursue engineering, so that Dhananjay can live his life with dignity. Even though Dhananjay had a good academic record, he could not secure admission in a government college and private education was outside the means of his family. However, the family living a life of economic hardship, prioritised education,” the statement added.

JNUSU Vice-President Avijit Ghosh (Image Source: X)

‘Will continue to fight for students’ rights’

Avijit Ghosh from the SFI, who has been elected as the Vice President, said, “JNUSU election is anyway historic and this election is happening after four years. JNUSU ne hamesha chhatron ki hit ke liye ladai ladi hai aur aage bhi ladegi (JNU has always fought for the rights of students and would continue to do so). The fight against communalism will keep going forward. The change we would like to bring in is: If anyone tries to malign JNU outside the campus, the university will reply strongly…Fight against privatisation and poor infrastructure will go on.”