In a historic win, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) won the president’s post in Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections for the first time in the university’s history.
ABVP candidate Gaurav Veer Sohal, who comes from Punjab, is a 27-year-old research scholar in the Department of Laws.
He won by a margin of 488 votes, securing 3,148 votes against Sumit Sharma of Student Front, a local outfit, who secured 2,660 votes. He was supported by the Manoj Lubana group.
Notably, there were a total of eight candidates in the fray for the top post. The eight-cornered contest saw NSUI’s Parabjot Gill finish third with 1,359 votes, followed by ASAP’s Mankirat Mann at 1,184. SOI’s Seerat managed 422, SOPU’s Ardas 318, PSU Lalkaar’s Joganpreet Singh 198, and Ambedkar Students Forum’s candidate 136. NOTA drew 188 ballots. The other three main posts were won by three different outfits.
“I am happy that my team’s hard work paid off. There were several questions put on ABVP’s proximity with the university officials, but I want to announce in clear and loud words that we will fight for students’ rights, no matter with whomsoever we are tagged with,” Sohal said after winning the election.
This is the first time that ABVP has won the president’s seat since PU started holding direct elections for the student office-bearers in 1977.
Other student wings of national parties performed very badlh, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) of the Congress; the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP), of Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP); and the Students Organization of India (SOI) of the Shiromani Akali Dal all got minimal votes.
