JNUSU elections 2018: Left Unity wins all four seats, besides ABVP violence

In a landslide victory, the Left Unity swept through all four seats at the Jawaharlal Nehru University student’s union (JNUSU) elections on Sunday, nullifying all attempts of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad to vandalise the elections and create chaos.

The Left Unity, a coalition of All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Students’ Federation (AISF) and the Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) defeated ABVP on all four fronts, winning the Presidential, vice-presidential, general-secretary and joint secretary seats to round-off a comprehensive victory.

While N.Sai Balaji (2161) won by a massive 1179 votes over ABVP’s Lalit Upadhyay (982) in the Presidential elections, it was the Vice-Presidential post in which ABVP succumbed to its heaviest defeat. Geeta Barua (1012) of ABVP lost by a mammoth 1579 count of votes against Sarika Chaudhary (2592) from the left union.

Also Read: JNUSU elections results: Left Unity clinch all four seats with landslide majority

Aejaj Ahmad (2423) of the left won the General Secretary elections defeating Ganesh Gurjar (ABVP) by a heavy 1193 votes. While Amutha Jaydeep (2047) won the Joint Secretary elections.

The victory looked inevitable for the left alliance, but drama unfolded when fearing heavy defeat (as it turned out) ABVP cadres – most of whom were from Delhi University (DU) – stormed into the School of International Studies building where the ballot boxes were kept and damaged many of those boxes, even resorting to breaking the glasses of the room. The counting of votes, as a result, had to be stopped for close to 14 hours.

“They had lathis, swords and many unidentified weapons with them,” said Geeta Kumari, former JNUSU President. “A vehicle full of ABVP goons, most of whom were from DU, were allowed inside the campus by CRPF. They then attacked the building and stopped the counting of votes. It was sheer Hooliganism. They even beat some of the agents,” she further accused.

Panic among common students of JNU as Scorpio cars full of ABVP goons from DU, armed with lathis and other weapons, have been allowed by CRPF to enter the campus. Students are at the police station but they’re being harassed even there. ABVP wants to taint the election process.

— Shehla Rashid (@Shehla_Rashid) September 15, 2018

It was also alleged that the ABVP members had also fired guns. But while Geeta observed that she did not hear any gun-shots, she further claimed, “The violence was no less.”

Reports of violence from #JNUSU_Election2018 #ABVP cadre is reportedly on campus with swords & laathis, ABVP cadre from DU has been brought in as well. Media and police not being allowed into JNU campus. ABVP is losing the election on ALL seats counted so far. (1)

— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) September 15, 2018

Many of the left unity supporters also accused the ABVP of attacking them outside the university campus and attempting to abort them at around 10:30 pm in the night.

“Some students had gone to the Vasant Kunj police station to lodge a complaint against the ABVP attacks inside the college campus and were once again attacked on their way back from the police station. Former JNUSU General Secretary Satorupa Chakraborty was also attacked outside the gate,” added Geeta in a telephonic conversation with TLM.

Ms Satorupa, who was among those attacked outside the police station told TLM, “We were coming back from Vasant Kunj police station after lodging complaints against ABVP when we were beaten up by goons, who came in a car. Their faces were covered in black clothes and they had belts in their hands.”

Those attacks and attempts to threaten and subdue, however, proved futile as the Left Union walked to a rampaging victory.

Accusations of such violence and subjugation of the common students by ABVP have been documented in the past also. TLM had earlier also published news where the North-east students of the campus had accused the RSS backed union of abusing and threatening them from staying away from a programme, where Chief Ministers of four North-east states had come to deliver a lecture.