Violence mars JNUSU polls, election process indefinitely suspended

New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) elections were indefinitely suspended on Friday following back-to-back incidents of violence and vandalism at the Election Committee (EC) office in the last two days over multiple extension of deadline for withdrawal of nominations.

The EC announced the decision to halt the process citing a serious breakdown in security and a hostile environment on campus.

In a statement, the EC said, "Due to recent incidents of violence and vandalism at the EC office and against EC members, the election process has been seriously disrupted. Until the safety of EC members is ensured by the administration and student organisations, the entire process, including the release of the final candidate list, has been put on hold." The situation spiralled after the EC extended the nomination withdrawal deadline multiple times. Originally set for April 16, the final candidate list was delayed and a withdrawal window was kept open till 4 pm on April 17, which was later extended to 4.30 pm.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) strongly opposed the extensions, calling them undemocratic. Protests by the ABVP and counter-protests by Left-affiliated groups such as the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA) led to clashes, damage to property and heightened tensions.

Following continued unrest, the EC provided another window on April 18 from 2 pm to 2.30 pm, prompting further protests. During the chaos, barricades were removed, glass panes at the EC office were shattered and several committee members reported feeling unsafe.

The EC has demanded that the JNU administration take immediate action against those involved in the violence and ensure security before the elections resume. It also accused the administration of not responding adequately to earlier requests for protection.

The ABVP has accused the EC of acting under pressure from the "Left United" and termed the suspension of elections a deliberate attempt to derail the democratic process. "The JNU Election Committee has become a puppet of the Left," the ABVP said in a statement.

The political landscape this year is also marked by a breakdown of the long-standing United Left alliance, which had dominated JNU student politics since 2016.

While AISA and DSF have formed a new alliance, SFI, BAPSA, AISF and PSA are attempting to form another front, though several of their nominations were either delayed or rejected due to procedural lapses and confusion over the withdrawal process.

The ABVP has announced its full panel of candidates -- Shikha Swaraj for president, Nittu Goutham for vice president, Kunal Rai for general secretary and Vaibhav Meena for joint secretary.

The AISA-DSF alliance has also declared its candidates -- Nitish Kumar (AISA) for president, Manisha (DSF) for vice president, Munteha Fatima (DSF) for secretary and Naresh Kumar (AISA) for joint secretary.

This year, 7,906 students are registered to vote. According to the data released by the EC, 57 per cent of the voters are males and 43 per cent are females.

According to the original schedule, the presidential debate was to take place on April 23, followed by polling on April 25 in two sessions -- 9 am to 1 pm and 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm. Counting was scheduled to begin the same night, with results expected by April 28.

With the process now on hold, the future of the JNUSU elections hangs in the balance.