JNUSU Polls: Counting underway; Left, ABVP neck-and-neck in key posts

Counting for the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections is underway, with latest trends showing a close contest between the Left Unity and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) across the four central panel posts.

According to the All India Students’ Association (AISA) representatives present at the counting booths on Thursday, after counting 4,340 votes, Left Unity’s Aditi Mishra continues to lead in the presidential race with 1,375 votes, followed by ABVP’s Vikas Patel at 1,192 and Shinde Vijayalakshmi of the Progressive Students’ Association (PSA) with 915.

For the vice-president’s post, Left Unity candidate K Gopika Babu has maintained a strong lead with 2,146 votes, while ABVP’s Tanya Kumari trails with 1,437.

In the general secretary contest, ABVP’s Rajeshwar Kant Dubey has secured 1,496 votes, narrowly ahead of Left Unity’s Sunil Yadav, who has 1,367.

The joint secretary race remains extremely close, with Left’s Danish Ali receiving 1,447 votes and ABVP’s Anuj Damara slightly ahead at 1,494.

According to sources, around 1,500 votes are yet to be counted, with final results expected later on Thursday.

Earlier, the ABVP said in a statement that it had won 14 of the 26 declared councillor seats, claiming a “clean sweep” in three schools.

The JNUSU polls, held on Tuesday, saw a 67 per cent turnout, slightly down from 70 per cent last year. The elections witnessed vibrant participation, with students beating drums, raising slogans and queuing at booths across the campus.

The contest, widely regarded as a reflection of ideological divides on campus, is primarily between the Left Unity, comprising the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), and the RSS-affiliated ABVP.

The Election Committee said the final results are likely to be announced on Thursday night.