New Delhi [India]: Voting has started at JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) for the student union polls that are being held after the gap of four years.
The polls started with over an hour of delay as polling agents' selection took time. The polling was scheduled to start at 9 am.
The students gathered around the polling stations hours before the polling began amid sloganeering. ABVP supporters were heard raising 'Jai Shree Slogans' while Left groups used drums to sing in unison --'lal Salam'.
A total of 7,751 students are registered to cast their votes in the elections slated for March 22.
The Delhi High Court had appointed former Supreme Court judge, Justice V Ramasubramanian, as the observer for the upcoming Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union elections while hearing a plea on the polls. The plea moved by a JNU student sought direction to frame appropriate university statute, regulations or mechanisms for conducting JNUSU elections, incorporating the recommendations prescribed in the Lyngdoh Commission.
The students' union has four central panel positions: President, Vice President, General Secretary, and Joint Secretary. As per the election commission, eight candidates (1 woman, 7 men) have been finalised for the president position and 4 candidates (1 woman, 3 men) are contesting for the position of vice president.
The ABVP have nominated Umesh Chandra Ajmira for the post of President, and Deepika Sharma for Vice President. Arjun Anand and Govind Dangi have been nominated as candidates for General Secretary and Joint Secretary respectively.
The United Left representatives from the AISA, SFI, DSF and AISF panel have fielded Dhananjay as the Presidential candidate, Avijit Ghosh for Vice-President, Swati Singh for General Secretary and Sajid for Joint Secretary as the left unity panel.
The JNUSU elections are being held after a gap of four years. The elections were stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and could not be conducted thereafter.
The last JNUSU election was won by left-backed SFI candidate Aishe Ghosh in 2019.
The left students outfits had allied to contest in the 2019 polls under the banner The United-Left alliance which included a coalition of AISA, SFI, DSF, and AISF.
—ANI