JNU Election Fever Peaks as Left Unity, ABVP, and NSUI Battle for Campus Control
JNU gears up for a high-stakes three-way student election between Left Unity, ABVP, and NSUI.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections are back, and this year’s contest promises to be one of the most fiercely fought in recent memory. The final list of candidates was released on Wednesday, locking in a multi-cornered battle for control of the politically influential union. Polling will be held on November 4, with results expected on November 6.
The elections will fill four central union positions—President, Vice-President, General Secretary, and Joint Secretary—along with numerous councillor seats across JNU’s various schools. The spotlight is on the Left Unity alliance, a coalition of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), and Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF). The bloc has fielded Aditi (AISA) for President, K. Gopika Babu (SFI) for Vice-President, Sunil Yadav (DSF) for General Secretary, and Danish Ali (AISA) for Joint Secretary, alongside 20 councillor nominees and three Internal Committee (IC) candidates.
Challenging them is the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing affiliated with the RSS. The group has announced its own full slate, led by Vikas Patel for President, Tanya Kumari for Vice-President, Rajeshwar Kant Dubey for General Secretary, and Anuj Damara for Joint Secretary. ABVP is contesting 42 councillor positions across all schools except the School of Arts & Aesthetics and has also nominated three candidates for the IC.
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The Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) enters the fray with Vikash Suwa Bishnoi running for President. Though the party has yet to release its official list, Bishnoi has amplified a campaign message rejecting the “Left vs Right” polarization while promising to oppose the National Education Policy (NEP) and privatization in higher education.
In the run-up to the vote, the campus is abuzz with rallies and debates centered on key student issues such as hostel renovations, library modernization, women’s safety, and affordable education. The Presidential debate on November 2 is expected to be a major highlight before the campaign silence period begins on November 3. With the counting of votes scheduled to begin the same evening as the polls, JNU awaits a gripping democratic contest that could reshape the university’s political landscape.
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