Security personnel sit at the entrance to the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on the day of JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) elections, in New Delhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Polling for a high-decibel wrestle between several political entities for the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections began on Tuesday, as students cast their votes to elect a new student body for the 2025-26 academic year.
Voting was held in two sessions, from 9am to 1pm and again from 2:30pm to 5:30pm, across various centres on the campus. According to the election schedule announced by the JNU Election Committee, counting of votes will take place on November 6, and results are expected to be declared the same night.
A total of 20 candidates are in the fray for the four central panel posts including president, vice-president, general secretary and joint secretary. The contest is expected to be triangular, with the Left alliance (comprising the Students’ Federation of India, All India Students’ Association and Democratic Students’ Federation) facing off against the BJP affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Congress’s student union National Students’ Union of India (NSUI).
The campaign season saw intense debates, night marches and poster drives across the campus, focusing on issues such as hostel shortages, fee hikes, women’s safety, and curbs on student activities. Left groups highlighted concerns over “privatisation of higher education” and campus autonomy, while the ABVP campaigned on themes of nationalism and development.
Some of the issues that found resonance in the campus was the Palestine conflict in Gaza the arrest of Ladakhi activist Sonam Wangchuk.
The JNU administration said that the elections are being conducted in accordance with the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines, with a grievance redressal cell set up to monitor complaints.