JNUSU Election Results 2025: The Left Unity panel has registered a decisive clean sweep in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) Elections 2025, reclaiming all four central posts and reaffirming its ideological dominance on the campus. The results mark yet another turn towards Left-backed student politics in one of India's most politically vibrant universities.
Aditi Mishra of Left Unity has been elected JNUSU President with 1,937 votes, defeating the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad's (ABVP) Vikas Patel, who secured 1,488 votes, a winning margin of 449 votes.
For the Vice President's post, Left Unity candidate K Gopika delivered a commanding victory with 3,101 votes, while ABVP's Tanya Kumari trailed behind with 1,787 votes.
The General Secretary's contest was closely fought, with Sunil Yadav of the Left Unity edging out ABVP's Rajeshwar Kant Dubey by just 24 votes - 2,005 to 1,981. Danish Ali secured the Joint Secretary position with 2,083 votes, defeating ABVP's Anuj Damara, who managed 1,797 votes.
The turnout this year stood at 67%, according to university election authorities, reflecting sustained student engagement in campus politics.
Aditi Mishra: From BHU Protests To JNU Presidency
Aditi Mishra, a third-year PhD scholar at the Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory under the School of International Studies, has emerged as a prominent new face of the Left.
Originally from Varanasi, Mishra completed her Bachelor's in Economics (Honours) from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and Master's in South Asian Studies from Pondicherry University before joining JNU. Her journey in student activism began during the 2017 BHU protests against alleged sexual harassment and gender-based restrictions.
"Back then, hostellers - especially women - faced curfews and discriminatory rules. Even food served in the mess was unequal; non-vegetarian meals were reserved for men. We protested against these injustices," Mishra recalled.
Her activism deepened at Pondicherry University, where she participated in nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). "It was a cultural shock in a good way," she said. "It showed me how collective resistance can reshape institutions."
Campaign On Accessibility And Campus Democracy
At JNU, Mishra campaigned on issues such as campus accessibility, declining academic quality, and affordability. She criticised what she described as "politically motivated faculty appointments" and "administrative apathy."
"The quality of education has declined. There are persistent water shortages, excessive surveillance in hostels, and efforts to push PhD scholars off campus," she said, calling them signs of "structural decay."
Mishra also accused the ABVP of working with "corporate funds" and promoting policies that make education "inaccessible and unaffordable." She cited a "50% decline in JNU's funding" and a "61% cut in AICTE allocations" in technical education as evidence of broader institutional neglect.
"They were in the union after ten years, had the most councillors and central support - yet what have they achieved?" Mishra asked, framing the Left's victory as "a mandate for inclusive, democratic student politics."
