HC set to hear JNUSU election matter today

But, students in 2 minds about stay order on results

NEW DELHI: With the Delhi High Court hearing in the JNUSU election matter slated for Tuesday, the Left alliance maintains that saffron party affiliated students are using inappropriate means to null the elections while the ABVP says that students approached the High Court only after being rejected by the Election Commission. The two-third bal

lots, which were counted and announced on campus showed the Left alliance with a leading margin, but the complete result will be declared as per directives of the High Court here. The Election Commission withheld the result following Delhi High Court stay order, after ABVP students alleged that sections like Nano-science and North-east were not allowed to be nominated.

The stay order by the Delhi High Court came after two students — Anshuman Dubey and Amit Kumar Dwivedi — alleged that rules were being flouted in the JNU Student’s Union polls, which resulted in their nominations for the post of councillor being rejected. Defending the students’ petition, ABVP’S former president, Lalit Pandey felt there is no smoke without fire. “Some departments like nano-science and the northeast have no representation. The students approached the EC only to face rejection. Hence they approached the HC,” Pandey said.

However, a former president of JNUSU from the All India Students’ Association — a Left ally — N Sai Balaji felt there is a nexus between the ABVP and the administration to storm the elections, fearing their loss once again. He said, “The administration needs to understand that if ABVP is losing again it is because they are not wanted in power by the students. We understand their dubious ways of ruining the democracy.” Balaji called it a failed attempt by the administration to take over the student body election process.

However, the ABVP insists that it is not in their interest to interfere with the polls as they have consistently gained voter percentage in the last few elections. “We support democracy and we have gained more voters when compared to last year,” Pandey said.

But on another tangent is a group of students who believe that there is nothing wrong with the High Court order, as it is a problem with the Greivance Redressal Cell (GRC) that needs to be addressed.

Parth S, a member of BAPSA, told the Millennium Post, “The High Court is not interfering but it is merely looking into allegations made by two students. It is the GRC that has been interfering since the time the entire electoral process started. The Election Commission receives a lot of pressure from GRC which favours ABVP.”

Balaji echoed the same, “The consistent harassment by the administration and GRC makes us wonder who is running in the elections — the vice chancellor or ABVP.” When asked about such issues, GRC Chairman, Umesh Kudam refused to comment.