The presidential debate for Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Students’ Union election took place on the night of November 2 – echoing not just with campus politics but also expressions of solidarity with Ladakh and jailed activist Sonam Wangchuk, Gaza, Sudan, and other global humanitarian causes.

The main contenders for the central panel came from the Left Unity alliance (SFI, AISA, and DSF) and the RSS-backed ABVP. Polling is scheduled for November 4, with results to be announced on November 6.

While students supporting the Left sloganeered loud enough to make ABVP’s presidential candidate Vikas Patel hoarse, the ABVP countered with cymbals and drums to drown out the Left’s candidate, Aditi Mishra.

Patel accused Left organisations of hypocrisy, claiming they had opposed the scrapping of GSCASH, a body mandated to look into complaints of sexual harassment, but contested elections for the Internal Complaints Committee (IC) that replaced it. 

The Left, meanwhile, held ABVP responsible for the “growing climate of violence” on campus.

Among the independents, Vijayalakshmi from the Progressive Students’ Association (PSA) stood out with a fiery speech laced with shayari. She accused the ABVP of being an “extension of the central government” and blamed it for the “repressive excesses” of the BJP regime.

‘At a standstill’

After the speeches, several students expressed disillusionment with how far campus politics has drifted from day-to-day concerns.

“Every activist here learns how to give speeches, that’s not a big deal,” said Mirza Shakir, a Master’s student in Arabic. “The point is, what issues are these elections being fought on? Despite having a strong cadre, they couldn’t stop the administration from putting up these metro-like gates in the library. Slogans of freedom won’t change anything; they have to lead actual change.”

Saurabh, pursuing a PhD in the School of International Studies, gave a message for the country’s citizens. “It is time for us to rethink how a nation could become a Vishwaguru, without having any scientific temperament? A basic thing such as access to JSTOR is not available to research students here. The hostel infrastructure and the washrooms are in terrible condition. What’s worse is the campus climate – violence and sexual harassment are increasing because the secular ethos India once stood for is being replaced by a Hindutva state.”

From ground reports to interviews, Team Newslaundry is on the ground in Bihar to track every aspect of this election. Your support will directly power our work. Click here.