JNU elections: Marginal drop in voter turnout

NEW DELHI: The student turnout for the pre-lunch round of voting at Jawaharlal Nehru University was unusually low on Friday. Till lunch, there were more campaigners and candidates at polling stations than voters. While that is practically tradition, the final turnout, at about 53%, is still lower than last year's 54%. JNU has an electorate of close to around 8,500.
"Students know how important this election is," says the last JNU students' union president and All India Students' Association member, Ashutosh."Funds for universities are being cut by the Centre and we're sure to get a right-leaning vice-chancellor. A clear-cut mandate against that is required," he reasons.
But it's not just the larger political trends that influenced the voter's decision. Every contestant mentions in passing the massive shortage of accommodation for new students. Pushp Raj, a first year Korean Studies student, has first-hand experience of the "hostel crisis." "Our exams (sessionals) start tomorrow but we have no desks, no place to study," he says. "Only two-three of over 30 students in Korean have been placed. Some girls had to cancel their admission."
After a decade on campus, School of Languages' Safi Alam too feels the hostel issue is a major one. "JNU is primarily a residential campus but they're trying to commercialize basic student services," he says. His friends believe the left-mainly, AISA-will maintain its hold over all four central panel posts though right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad is strong enough to be seen as a viable contender. Another student says that while a central panel seat may still elude ABVP, it's likely to bag several councillor ones this year as well.
"There should be some change in leadership," observes Mehfooz Rehman, also from SLS, "But the left is not united." Many agreed that Democratic Students' Federation, Students' Federation of India and All India Students' Federation should've run together to form a strong alternative to AISA. The failure of the alliance has led to five parties- with the new Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association-fighting for left votes for the president's post. Rehman and Sadique Akhtar, who have spent a decade each on campus, also argue there's "general depoliticization of the campus."
Former JNUSU president and DSF member, V Lenin Kumar attributes this and the declining turnout to "the lack of political polarization." "There's no interest in the student's union, students don't know candidates beyond what they see during the campaign," he says. He blames -indeed all left organizations do-the Lyngdoh Committee's recommendations, upheld by the SC, according to which polls are conducted across universities. Their primary beef is with a provision not allowing candidates to contest for a central panel post twice. As a result, senior experienced leaders find themselves out of the game soon whether they win or lose the seat they'd contested for. "Also, if there's no possibility of re-election," continues Kumar, "There's no accountability either. Then it becomes all about organisation."