Friday, March 29, 2024

JNU goes to polls on September 6

JNUSU presidential candidates (from left): Manish Jangid (ABVP), Priyanka Bharati (CRJD), Jitendra Suna (BAPSA), Prashant Kumar (NSUI) Aishe Ghosh (SFI) and the general secretary candidates (from left): Satish Chandra Yadav (AISA) and Waseem R.S (Fraternity Movement)

Fourteen candidates, including three women, are in the fray for the four posts in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students” Union polls this time.

The polls will be held on September 6 and the results will be declared two days later. The presidential debate, which is conducted on the lines of the US presidential debate and is a sought-after event, will be held on September 4.

United Left

The United Left, which comprises All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students” Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) and All India Students’ Federation (AISF), will be contesting on all the four posts of president, vice president, general secretary and joint secretary. The Left Unity panel’s presidential candidate this year is Aishe Ghosh from SFI. AISA’s Satish Chandra Yadav is contesting the post of JNUSU general secretary in the Left Unity and DSF’s Saket Moon on vice president and AISF’s Mohammad Danish on joint secretary posts.

Aishe Ghosh alleged that marginalised communities are being attacked, while the rape accused are shielded by the government.”We have always promoted the culture of debate but last year the Election Committee was attacked which happened for the first time. The entire state machinery is after JNU,” she said.

Ghosh alleged that university is spending crores of rupees on building statues while there is a dearth of facilities for engineering and management students, who are being charged exorbitant fees.She said their demand is for hostels for all students and they will set up sanitary pad vending machines in the campus.The SFI candidate also raked up the issue of the missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed in her speech.

Bapsa – Fraternity alliance

The Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA) – Fraternity Movement alliance is contesting for posts of president and general secretary. Jitendra Suna from the BAPSA and the Fraternity Movement’s Waseem R.S will be contesting for the posts of president and general secretary respectively.

”In times of Hindutva Fascism, the oppressed are being routinely lynched and their voices are being muffled. The current regime is that of hate, contempt and oppression of the already marginalised groups. In the name of caste, religion, communalism, cultural practices, food habits and so on, marginalised groups are being otherised and selectively targeted. There are systematic attacks on the rights of the marginalised people — the Constitution which safeguards their rights is being subverted, the Parliamentary procedure as well as the spirit of the Constitution have been reduced to a joke. This can be witnessed through the way EWS reservations, abrogation of Article 370, Trans Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, amendments to the UAPA, NIA, etc. have been passed. A fear psychosis has been created through mob lynchings with impunity accorded to killers and lynchers as well as patronage from the current regime,” BAPSA – Fraternity Movement leaders said in jointly released statement.

”The so-called progressive groups on university campuses have either remained mute spectators or have appropriated and patronised marginalised voices. In stark opposition to the politics of hate and mob lynching of the right wing as well as the politics of appropriation and patronisation of the Left wing, organisations like BAPSA and Fraternity stand firm in their commitment to the politics of oppressed by the oppressed,” they said.

The RSS-affiliated Abkhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has also fielded candidates for all the posts, while the Congress affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) – Muslim League affiliated Muslim Students Federation (MSF) alliance has fielded a candidate for the president’s post. The ABVP’s presidential candidate is Manish Jangid. NSUI – MSF alliance’s presidential candidate is Prashant Kumar this year.

The Chhatra Rashtriya Janata Dal, students” wing of the RJD, will be contesting for the posts of president and vice president. Priyanka Bharti is the CRJD’s presidential candidate this year.

Independent candidate Raghavendra Mishra who dresses up in saffron robes is also contesting for the post of president.

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