After a gap of eight years, RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh)- affiliated ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) has swept the University of Hyderabad students union elections (2018-19). It has secured all top posts, which includes the post of university president. The poll was held on October 5, 2018, and witnessed a 75 per cent turnout.
According to reports, ABVP’s Aarti N Nagpal, who is a PhD scholar, has won the president’s post by securing 1,663 votes in her favour. Nagpal defeated her rival- SFI’s (Students’ Federation of India) Erram Naveen Kumar and United Democratic Alliance’s (UDA) G Sreeja Vasthavi. The duo, however, managed to garner 1,329 and 842 votes respectively.
Calling the victory as ‘historic’, ABVP members said that the outcome is a ‘huge breather’ for it. Speaking to news agency ANI, Nagpal said, “Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has swept all the seats after eight years. It’s a matter of happiness for us. We hope we will be able to work as per the student community’s expectations.”
Apart from president’s post, the ABVP also won the posts of vice-president, general secretary, joint secretary, sports secretary and cultural secretary. The ABVP had last won the student body polls in 2010 in the University of Hyderabad. Amit Kumar has been elected as vice-president, while Dheeraj Sangoji as general secretary, Praveen Chowhan as joint secretary, Arvind Kartha as sports secretary and Nikhil Raj as cultural secretary.
Recently, the ABVP had won three posts, including the president’s post at Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) elections. Congress- affiliated NSUI (National Students’ Union of India) also won one post at DUSU.