After a gruelling 48-hour counting process that kept the campus on edge, the Left Unity alliance declared victory, achieving a 4–0 “clean sweep” of all central panel posts in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections.
According to the Left Unity, the result was a powerful reaffirmation of its traditional stronghold, and, more pointedly, a decisive reversal of the gains made by its arch-rival, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
In the previous elections, ABVP had broken a decade-long drought by winning the Joint Secretary post.
This year, the alliance, a coalition of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), and Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), successfully consolidated its support base, locking out the RSS-affiliated ABVP from the union.
The elections drew thousands of students across the campus into the process of campaigning, voting, and counting.
Polling was held on Tuesday, November 4, in a vibrant atmosphere, with students queuing at booths and raising slogans.
Out of 9,043 eligible voters, 67% cast their ballots, a slight dip from previous elections, but still a reflection of a campus deeply engaged in its famously political culture.
The new JNUSU panel will be led by Aditi Mishra (AISA) as President. Mishra, a PhD scholar from the School of International Studies, secured 1,861 votes. She defeated ABVP’s presidential candidate, Vikas Patel, who finished with 1,447 votes. Shinde Vijayalakshmi (PSA) secured 1,217 votes.
The most resounding victory of the election belonged to Kizhakoot Gopika Babu (SFI) for the post of Vice President. Gopika Babu received 2,966 votes, creating a massive lead of 1,236 votes over ABVP’s Tanya Kumari.
The position of General Secretary was won by Sunil Yadav (DSF) with 2,005 votes, secured by a razor-thin margin of just 104 votes over ABVP’s Rajeshwar Kant Dubey, who garnered 1,901 votes.
Rounding out the panel, Danish Ali (AISA) won the post of Joint Secretary with 1,991 votes, defeating ABVP’s Anuj Damara by a margin of 229 votes. JNUSU’s central panel was thus painted entirely red.
In her victory speech, Aditi Mishra said, “When we talk about the idea of JNU, we talk about the hardworking people who have built this campus. It is their legacy, and if anybody tries to steal it, we will always fight back.”
ABVP not only lost the central panel but also failed to secure a single one of the 47 councillor positions, leaving the organization entirely without representation in the new student council. Councillors are the student representatives for individual schools and departments. This loss signifies that ABVP’s message failed to resonate not just at the ‘ideological’ presidential level but also at the grassroots departmental level.
ABVP also lost all three Internal Committee (IC) positions. In the Undergraduate section, Garvita Gandhi (AISA) won; in the Postgraduate section, Shruti Verma (DSF); and in the PhD section, Paran Amitava (SFI).
For the Left Unity, the 2025 election campaign was built around multiple issues, the demand for improved hostel and library infrastructure, the reinstatement of GSCASH, rollback of NEP, affordable education, and the changing political character of the institution.
K. Gopika Babu said, “The students of JNU, who are the descendants of Nangeli, Ambedkar, Phule, and Fatima, have shown to the idea of Hindu Rashtra that JNU exists as an idea of public education, with a legacy of resistance and social justice, and it is not going to go away.”
While the main contest remained a “Red vs Saffron” binary, other groups also vied for space. Progressive Students Association (PSA) presidential candidate Shinde Vijayalakshmi did not win the post but secured a significant 1,217 votes. BAPSA, NSUI, AISF, and Disha Organization also fielded candidates for various posts.
Sunil Yadav said, “This is a victory against people who questioned our support for Palestine. This is a victory over people who have wronged Najeeb. We remember our fellows who are in jail, and this victory belongs to them.”
Danish Ali added, “Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam are alive inside us. We will always stand for the people of Palestine. JNU will never bow down before a fascist government, and we will always fight against those spreading hate towards Dalits and Muslims.”
Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA) candidate Komal Devi won the Councillor post from the School of Social Sciences (SSS).
“This marks BAPSA’s first victory in SSS after 11 long years, a milestone in our continuous struggle for social justice, equality, and representation,” said the Bahujan student organisation.
“This victory is a step towards reclaiming our spaces, our voices, and our dignity. We reject co-option, we reject tokenism, this is the politics of self-respect and autonomy,” they said.
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