Voting on Tuesday for JNUSU polls; Campaign silence falls after fiery final debate

New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Campaigning ended on the early hours of Monday for the JNU Students' Union elections, paving the way for voting on Tuesday, in what is expected to be a closely contested poll between the Left Unity and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

Polling will be held on November 4 in two sessions, from 9 am to 1 pm and 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm, with counting to begin at 9 pm. The final results will be declared on November 6.

The polls have brought the campus alive after months of political activity, protests and debates over accessibility, inclusion and university governance.

This year's contest 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 ABVP, which has mounted an aggressive campaign centred on "performance and nationalism." The mandatory 24-hour "no-campaigning" period began after the presidential debate in the early hours of Monday, the campaign's grand finale, where six candidates from the Left, ABVP, NSUI, Progressive Students' Association (PSA), Disha Students' Organisation (DSO) and independent panels faced off before a packed audience at the Students' Activity Centre. The BAPSA candidate could not participate because of a personal issue.

Left candidate Aditi Mishra, a PhD scholar from the School of International Studies, said the polls were being held "at a time when dissent and equality are under threat," and promised to defend "an inclusive JNU that remains accessible to all." Her main rival, ABVP's Vikas Patel, accused the Left of "ruling and ruining JNU for five decades," saying students now want "accountability and solution-oriented politics." Other candidates, including PSA's Shinde Vijayalaxmi Vyankat Rao, NSUI's Vikash and independent Angad Singh, criticised both dominant blocs for "ignoring core student issues" such as fellowships, hostel safety and research support.

Rao's fiery speech against campus restrictions, punctuated with poetry by Bashir Badr, drew strong applause from the crowd.

The Left Unity has fielded Aditi Mishra (President), Kizhakoot Gopika Babu (Vice-President), Sunil Yadav (General Secretary) and Danish Ali (Joint Secretary), while the ABVP's panel includes Vikas Patel (President), Tanya Kumari (Vice-President), Rajeshwar Kant Dubey (General Secretary) and Anuj (Joint Secretary).

Last year, AISA's Nitish Kumar had won the president's post, while ABVP's Vaibhav Meena broke a decade-long drought to secure the Joint Secretary position, a result the organisation hailed as "a historic shift" in campus politics.

With campaigning now officially over, the walls of JNU, once filled with posters and slogans, are quiet. Yet anticipation is high as thousands of students prepare to cast their votes on Tuesday in one of India's most closely watched student elections, often seen as a reflection of wider ideological trends among the country's youth. PTI MHS HIG