After the gap of eight years, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students’ wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has swept the student union elections at the University of Hyderabad on Saturday, winning all six posts of office-bearers. The last time ABVP had won elections in the University of Hyderabad was way back in 2009-10.
According to the reports, the ABVP had fought elections this year with an alliance with the Other Backward Classes Federation (OBCF) and the Sevalal Vidhyarthi Dal (SVD). The contest was a three-cornered fight with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the Communist Party of India, and United Democratic Alliance were also contesting for the post of office bearers.
Aarti Nagpal, a PhD Psychology student won the post of UoH SU president by defeating Erram Naveen Kumar of the SFI by 334 votes. The posts of vice-president, general secretary, joint secretary, cultural secretary and sports secretary were won by Amit Kumar, Dheeraj Sangoji, Praveen Chowhan, Arvind Kartha and Nikhil Raj, respectively, all belonging to the ABVP alliance.
The ABVP’s victory is considered to be historic, as the University of Hyderabad is considered to be a left-wing bastion. Students Federation of India (SFI), which is affiliated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA), an Ambedkarite students’ group are considered to be very strong in UoH and ABVP snatching victory from them indicates that the rising wave of Right-wing politics in communist-dominated Universities.
This victory in Hyderabad University seems to be important for ABVP, as in 2016 the UoH was rocked by protests by the left-wing students over the death of PhD student Rohit Vermula. Since then, the left-wing had maintained a tight grip in the campus, but this ABVP victory will change the politics in the University from hear on.
Earlier in September, the ABVP had won 3 out of 4 posts in the recently concluded students’ union elections in Delhi University.
