JNUSU: Can ABVP's Newly-Elected Joint Secretary Vaibhav Meena Foster an Inclusive Campus?

New Delhi, April 28 (NationPress) The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad’s (ABVP) standout candidate in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union Election, Vaibhav Meena, who has just been elected as Joint Secretary, proclaimed on Monday that his victory reflects the increasing acceptance of nationalist ideology within the traditionally Left-leaning campus.

Originating from Karauli in Rajasthan and coming from a tribal farming family, Meena committed to fostering an inclusive environment on campus and contributing towards the nation's progress.

"Under our leadership, the newly formed JNUSU will align every step, decision, and initiative towards the betterment of the student body," Meena stated in his inaugural speech.

"We envision a campus where dialogue, inclusivity, and academic excellence take precedence, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive equally," he added.

“This victory represents the initial stride towards establishing a JNU where education acts as a transformative force for nation-building," said Meena, who holds a degree from the University of Rajasthan and a postgraduate degree in Hindi Literature from Banaras Hindu University.

Currently, Meena is pursuing research in Hindi Literature at the Centre of Indian Languages, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies at JNU and also possesses a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Hindi Literature.

In addition to his academic achievements, Meena has successfully completed a two-year National Service Scheme initiative, and is presently the President of Kaveri Hostel at JNU.

Congratulating Meena, ABVP National General Secretary Dr. Virendra Solanki remarked, "A new era of nationalism has commenced at JNU. Today marks a historic moment. The barriers long maintained by the leftist ideology have fallen due to the democratic choice of the students."

Solanki noted that the ABVP secured victories in 24 out of 46 Councillor positions across various schools and special centers.

“This is a triumph for every student who believes that education should be the foundation for nation-building. We will steadfastly advocate for every student's rights while promoting the concept of 'Nation First,'" he emphasized.

The results, announced in the early hours on Monday, indicated that the Left retained dominance by winning three out of the top four positions in the student union, with Nitish Kumar from the All India Students' Association (AISA) clinching the President’s position.

Kumar amassed 1,702 votes to secure the presidency.

Manisha and Munteha Fatima, both representing the Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), took the roles of Vice-President and General Secretary, respectively.

ABVP’s Meena achieved the Joint Secretary's title with 1,518 votes, surpassing AISA's Naresh Kumar (1,433 votes) and Progressive Students' Association (PSA) candidate Nigam Kumari (1,256 votes).

With Meena’s success, the ABVP secured a central panel position for the first time since Saurav Sharma’s election to the same role in 2015-16. The last instance of ABVP winning the presidency was in 2000-01 when Sandeep Mahapatra triumphed.

Summarizing their accomplishments in the recent elections, the ABVP mentioned that five of its councillors were elected unopposed.

In the School of Social Sciences, historically a leftist bastion, the ABVP won two seats after 25 years, and in the School of International Studies, which has long been under leftist control, they also secured two seats.

The ABVP recorded several uncontested victories, including Surendra Bishnoi in the School of Biotechnology; Praveen Piyush, Raja Babu, and Prachi Jaiswal in all three seats of the School of Sanskrit and Indic Studies.

Govardhan Singh was elected unopposed from the Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, as reported by the ABVP.