Independent elected RUSU president in student union elections, no top post for NSUI across Rajasthan

In the Rajasthan University Students’ Union (RUSU) polls, an independent won the president’s post, making it fifth time in a row that the top post has gone to someone not from the student wings of established political parties.

Independent Nirmal Choudhary defeated his nearest rival Niharika Jorwal, an NSUI rebel, to become the RUSU president. Choudhary bagged 4,043 votes while Jorwal was polled 2,576 votes. NSUI’s official candidate Ritu Barala was relegated to the third position with 2,010 votes and Narendra Yadav of the ABVP was a distant fourth with 988 votes.

Daughter of state Tourism minister Murari Lal Meena, Jorwal fought as an independent after being denied ticket by the NSUI.

In the last student union elections in 2019, NSUI rebel Pooja Verma was elected the RUSU president. In 2018, it was Vinod Jhakhar, also an NSUI rebel; in 2017, it was Pawan Yadav who had rebelled against the ABVP; while ABVP rebel Ankit Dhayal had bagged the top seat in 2016.

It was way back in 2015 that either of the two main student outfits — NSUI and ABVP — had bagged the post when Satveer Chaudhary of the NSUI became the RUSU president.

At Jai Narain Vyas University (JNVU), Jodhpur, SFI’s Arvind Singh Bhati edged out NSUI’s Harendra Choudhary in a close contest that witnessed recounting. SFI’s Vijendra Daka won the president’s post at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Shekhawati University, Sikar.

ABVP’s Mahipal Godara won the president’s post at Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University in Ajmer; Kuldeep Singh at Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur; Lokendra Pratap Singh at Maharaja Ganga Singh University in Bikaner; Sunil Surawat at the Govind Guru Tribal University, Banswara; and Hitesh Foujdar at Maharaja Surajmal Brij University in Bharatpur.

As for independents, apart from Rajasthan University, Subhash Gurjar won the top post at Raj Rishi Bharthari Matsya University, Alwar; Ajay Pareta at Kota University; Chandranshu Khiriya at Mugneeram Bangur Memorial (MBM) University, Jodhpur; Jayant Bishnoi at Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bikaner; and Pankaj Kumawat at Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University, Jaipur. Somu Anand of Students for Democracy won the top post at Haridev Joshi University of Journalism and Mass Communication, Jaipur.

BJP Chief Spokesperson Ramlal Sharma said the results “indicate change”. “The youth are angry over unemployment and irregularities in job recruitment. They voted for the ABVP at maximum places, backed the independents at some places…rejecting the NSUI,” he said.