The Hindu : New Delhi News : 65 per cent polling in JNU elections

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Friday, Nov 10, 2006
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65 per cent polling in JNU elections

Staff Reporter

`Rise in number of voters this time'

WAITING FOR THEIR TURN: Students of JNU queue up to cast their vote during the students' union elections on Thursday . — PHOTO: V.V. KRISHNAN

NEW DELHI: It was their annual date with democracy. And students of the politically vibrant Jawaharlal Nehru University here turned up in large numbers -- a whopping 65 per cent of them -- to vote in the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) election on Thursday.

While the percentage of voter turnout did not change much from last year -- when 63 per cent of the students had exercised their franchise -- the number of voters this time round was considerably higher, claimed the election committee.

"A thousand voters have been added to the list this year. So while the percentage is almost the same, the number of voters have gone up. The school with the highest polling was the School of Languages where close to 1,100 students voted,'' said the chairperson of the election committee, Netajee Abhinandan.

Buzzing with energy outside the polling booths, supporters came together to not only use their ballot but also lend their voice to their student party. In an attempt to prove their strength in more ways than one, supporters of different parties tried to drown each other's voice to emerge the winner.

Armed with pamphlets and slips of papers with their candidates' names printed on them, party followers approached every new face to ask for votes. Campaigning till the last minute, candidates wearing badges could be seen approaching students sitting around watching the drama of politics unfold. Despite the campus being rife with rumours of clashes between student outfits, students and their parties alike decided to restrict their fight to the ballot.

"There was a verbal duel between the supporters of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Students' Federation of India (SFI), which got slightly out of hand. But it was very minor. Polling continued peacefully on every booth and the day passed off incident free,'' said Mr. Abhinandan.

While the seasoned students stood around debating the outcome of the elections -- especially with a number of smaller players contesting this time -- first-timers to the JNU election process were excited just to be part of this rather unique affair.

"I come from Mumbai. This is my first JNU election. We really do not have anything like this there,'' said a young girl.

Bringing down the curtain on a hectic election campaign, the toughest period for student parties began with the counting of votes late on Thursday night. And to take away from the tension, supporters of different student outfits were maintaining an all-night vigil singing songs and shouting slogans till the results are declared.

The political canvas of JNU has expanded this year and the fight for the four central panel seats has seen parties like the Youth For Equality

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