Left leads in all 4 posts at JNU after first round of vote counting

After the first round of vote counting at Jawaharlal Nehru University, the Left is leading in all positions. Voting had taken place earlier on Tuesday, as students are electing a new central panel and councillors on campus.

This year, approximately 9,043 students were eligible to cast their votes, as per the election committee.

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On Tuesday evening, the university reported a 67% voter turnout, slightly below the 70% recorded in the previous election and down from the decade-high of 73% in 2023–2024.

Seven candidates are contesting the president’s post, three are in the race for vice-president, and five candidates are each competing for the positions of general secretary and joint secretary.

Representing the Left Unity, which includes AISA, SFI, and DSF, Aditi Mishra is contesting for president, Kizhakoot Gopika Babu for vice-president, Sunil Yadav for general secretary, and Danish Ali for joint secretary. Representing the ABVP, Vikas Patel, Tanya Kumari, Rajeshwar Kant Dubey, and Anuj are contesting for the respective posts in the same order.

The ABVP has campaigned on the theme of “performance and nationalism”, while the Left bloc has focused on inclusion, accessibility, and student welfare.

The election committee reported that nearly 9,043 students are eligible to participate in the vote this year.

The proportion of women candidates stands at around 30% for the central panel and 25% for school councillor posts.

Last year, AISA’s Nitish Kumar was elected president, while ABVP’s Vaibhav Meena won the joint secretary post, ending a decade-long dry spell for the right-wing group and signalling a “historic shift” in JNU’s campus politics.