The RSS-backed ABVP has surged in the JNU Students’ Union polls, winning around half the councillor seats, and is heading for a photo finish with the AISA-DSF alliance.
The SFI, which is part of the outgoing union, has been routed in its stronghold. The SFI and the CPI’s AISF broke away from the AISA bloc and aligned with smaller groups this time.
AISA is linked to the CPIML-Liberation. The Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) had split from the SFI in 2012.
Out of more than 5,500 votes cast on Friday, 4,225 had been counted till the filing of this report. The AISA-DSF alliance is leading in the posts of president, vice-president and general secretary, with the ABVP as the runner-up. The ABVP is leading in the joint secretary post, with AISA-DSF as the runner-up.
The final results are expected around midnight.
This time, the ABVP has won two out of five councillor seats each in the schools of social sciences (SSS) and international studies (SIS), although it drew a blank in the school of languages. This is the first time since 2000 that the ABVP has won two seats at the SSS. The SFI and its allies have not won any seats from the SSS and the SIS.
The SFI and its allies have not won any seats from the SSS and the SIS.
The SFI and the AISA issued pamphlets during the campaign, questioning each other’s understanding of fascism. Ironically, their split appears to have benefited ABVP whom both groups have often condemned as “fascist” and have violently clashed with several times.