NEW DELHI: In a decisive victory, the Left Unity panel swept all four central posts in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) elections for 2025-26 on Thursday, with Aditi Mishra of AISA becoming the university's first woman president since Aishe Ghosh in 2019. The results mark a strong comeback for the Left, which had lost one post to ABVP in the delayed 2024-25 polls this April.
Mishra, a PhD student from Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory, secured 1,937 votes, defeating ABVP's Vikas Patel, who polled 1,488 votes. The margin of 449 votes is up from 272 recorded in the April poll.
The presidential candidate of Progressive Students' Association (PSA), Shinde Vijayalaxmi Vyankat Rao, who gained traction among voters with her fiery presidential speech targeting both left and right politics on the campus, took away 1,276 votes while NSUI trailed with 419 votes.
In the vice-presidential race, Left's K Gopika Babu from SFI registered the highest tally across all posts, winning by a massive margin of 1,314, up from 34 in the April poll. She secured 3,101 votes while ABVP's Tanya Kumari got 1,787 and NSUI's Shaikh Shahnawaz Alam 370.
For the post of general secretary, Left's Sunil Yadav from DSF won by 104 votes, a little dip from April's 114, polling 2,005 votes against ABVP's Rajeshwar Kant Dubey's 1,901. The joint secretary's post was also clinched by Left, with Danish Ali securing 2,083 votes and defeating ABVP's Anuj Damra (1,797) by a margin of 286 votes. In the previous poll, ABVP had bagged this post with a margin of 45.
This year's election saw 20 candidates in the fray for the four central panel posts, including six woman candidates, reflecting an increase in women's participation in the campus politics.
During the early rounds of counting, when about 4,300 votes were tallied, ABVP was leading on two seats — general secretary and joint secretary. However, once votes from School of Social Sciences and School of Languages were opened, Left secured the lead on all posts. Both these centres have historically voted overwhelmingly for Left candidates.
The day-long counting unfolded amid high-decibel sloganeering, drum beats and bursts of celebration as each round was declared. Late at night, tensions briefly flared when a group of students carrying Palestine flags clashed with ABVP supporters. Students alleged that ABVP members tore a flag while ABVP denied the charge, claiming the group had raised anti-govt slogans.
Observers say the results reaffirm the united Left's dominance on the campus. The outcome also signals that while new entrants like PSA have injected energy into the campus discourse, the traditional Left remains the primary force shaping student politics at JNU, they add.
Sugandha Jha is a journalist with over half a decade of experienc...
Read MoreSugandha Jha is a journalist with over half a decade of experience covering education, social affairs, and current news. With a sharp eye for numbers and a strong grounding in data-driven reporting, she brings clarity and insight to complex issues. Beyond the newsroom, she’s passionate about exploring regional cuisine and the stories behind what we eat. Her work blends analytical rigour with human interest, offering readers nuanced perspectives across diverse subjects.
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