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New Delhi: The Left Unity on Thursday retained its stronghold in the Jawaharlal Nehru University here, effecting a clean sweep to win all four central panel posts in the students’ union elections.

The alliance of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) swept the polls, reaffirming its dominance on the campus. Aditi Mishra was elected president after defeating RSS-backed ABVP’s Vikas Patel by 449 votes.

Kizhakoot Gopika Babu bagged the vice-president’s post after trouncing Tanya Kumari, while Sunil Yadav and Danish Ali won the posts of general secretary and joint secretary after defeating their right-wing rivals Rajeshwar Kant Dubey and Anuj, respectively. 

This year, around 9,043 students were eligible to vote. The polls recorded a 67 per cent turnout, slightly lower than the previous election’s 70 per cent. The campus saw vibrant participation with students queuing up outside hostels and schools amid chants, drumbeats and campaign songs.

Setback for ABVP

The result marks a setback for the ABVP, which made a comeback to the JNUSU central panel last year when Vaibhav Meena won the joint secretary’s post — the outfit’s first victory in a decade. Earlier, Saurabh Sharma’s win in 2015 had ended a 14-year drought for the right-wing organisation.

Before that, the ABVP‘s only presidential victory dates back to 2000–01, when Sandeep Mahapatra broke through the Left’s dominance.

With this year’s outcome, the Left Unity has reasserted its political dominance, continuing its long tradition of leadership in the JNU —  a campus often seen as a cradle of debate, dissent and student activism.