Legend has it that Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has always bled red. The red brick walls of the buildings of this campus are a hallmark and till date, JNU remains one of the last bastions of the withering Left in the country. The beginnings of this university, which was founded in 1969, were humble. Postgraduate courses – MPhil and PhD in International Studies – and undergraduate courses in Russian Studies became the breeding ground for a kind of communist zeal since students interacted with teachers who were pro-Soviet teachers. Students of International Studies did not betray any such political leanings till Prakash Karat, just back from the United Kingdom and alive with sharp, Marxist political ideas, descended upon JNU. With two functional departments in place, the students’ council of JNU started out as being a federal structure. The schools/ departments had their own unions. It is believed that Karat, along with his comrades, proposed the merger of the Union of the School of International Studies (SIS) with the Union of the University, explaining to the student community the need for a centralised, united students’ body. The first election of the Jawaharlal Nehru Students’ Union (JNUSU) was held in 1971. Since then, the JNUSU President has always been Red, except in 2000, when Sandeep Mahapatra won the JNUSU presidency.

The Constitution that governs JNUSU’s policies has one definite, formidable principle: it suggests the elections will be conducted entirely by students with no interference from faculty members or the Administrative body of JNU. Even today, as per this Constitution, an Election Commission is constituted before every election, and this EC takes responsibility of the smooth and fair proceedings during the elections in JNU.

JNU, today, has a gamut of Left parties:

• All India Students Association (AISA) is affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist);
• All India Students Federation (AISF) draws from the ideals of the Communist Party of India;
• Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Organisation (BASO) – a consequence of the February 9 episode in JNU – which was started by Umar Khalid;
• Democratic Students Federation (DSF), which was founded by four campus leaders who were ousted from SFI;
• Democratic Students Union (DSU);
• SFI.

There are also the Ambedkarites, Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA), who challenge the question of caste on campus, very often claiming that Indian Communists have failed to tackle and resist Brahminical attacks on the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. BAPSA, surprisingly, is supported on campus by the Other Backward Classes Forum (OBC Forum) these days.

By winning the post of Joint Secretary in the 2015 JNUSU election, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), affiliated to the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), made a big comeback in this Left stronghold. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the students’ wing of the Indian National Congress (INC), has been reduced to a very small presence in JNU presently.

The process of JNUSU elections is rigorous. Nominations are filed by candidates – both independents and those who are backed by parties. Time is given to the candidates to withdraw their nominations. Once the credentials of the candidates are verified, eligible names are officially declared. Elections take place on a two-tier system. Students vote for two sets of people: councilors of schools and four Central Panel candidates (the President, Vice President, General Secretary and Joint Secretary). Campaigns range from door-door to talks, to public meetings; from convincing people in the mess halls of the different hostels at the meal hours, to addressing them in their classroom (very often, while a lecture is in progress). Despite the onslaught of social media, activists in JNU continue to complement their online campaigns by walking around dhabas and handing out to scholars pamphlets containing their ideological positions.

There are a multitude of causes at play during elections: gender justice, caste discrimination, the political stalemate in Kashmir, the cons of capitalism, social inequality, to name a few. Elections are fought and won along these macro lines, as well as on micro issues of hostel crisis and basic facilities such as wifi, library facilities and reading rooms. General body meetings are called in the different schools on pre-decided dates. Classes are obviously stalled, as the candidates contesting for post of Councilor of School deliver speeches and face questions. Three days before the vote, candidates contesting for the post of Vice President, General Secretary and Joint Secretary also engage in a debate – held at the Jhelum Lawns – in a final attempt to convince voters. Ganga Dhaba, situated across the Jhelum Lawns, remains open through the night of this debate, refreshing tired minds and hoarse voices with endless supplies of chai and banta, (Rs 5 and Rs 10, respectively). The day after the Presidential debate is marked as a No-Campaign day, which is followed by the Decisive-Day.

Every election in JNU is a reiteration of that hope: the hope for a better tomorrow, and the hope that the youth of the world, educated, socially aware and politically conscious, hold the fundamental potential to bring about this better tomorrow.