Campus activism is a vibrant part of Bharat’s electoral landscape. For long years, we have witnessed that certain central universities act as the breeding grounds of anti-national fringe elements. But the Gen Z of Bharat this year has made a revolutionary decision by choosing the nationalistic icons in these universities. This year was cherishful for the world’s largest student organization, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parisahd( ABVP ), as we saw them winning in a strong margin in university elections of Patna, Panjab, Delhi and in a recent breakthrough at Hyderabad Central University too. This is not merely an overnight change, but a dedicated planning and hard work of millions of karyakartas of ABVP.
Bharat’s neighbouring countries were literally burning for the past years, with the latest incident of outbreak happening in Nepal. Major protests led by Gen Z took place in Nepal in September 2025, sparked by a government ban on social media amid long-standing frustrations over elite corruption, economic stagnation and nepotism. The demonstrations resulted in significant violence and led to the resignation of then Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.
Bangladesh witnessed a massive student uprising later termed as “July Revolution”, in which mass protests led to the downfall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League government, resulting in the establishment of an interim government. The movement began with student protests against a High Court decision in June 2024 that reinstated a 56% job quota for the descendants of 1971 Liberation War freedom fighters in public service jobs. This was viewed as unfair and discriminatory against students competing on merit. Still, the economy remains a concern, with high inflation and economic dissatisfaction persisting. Tensions continue to persist with lingering political issues and questions about the interim government’s long-term direction.
In Srilanka, the protest movement, widely known as the Aragalaya, reached its peak in 2022 by ousting the Rajapaksa government amidst a severe economic crisis. The protests were fueled by mismanagement, corruption and nepotism within the Rajapaksa-led government, which led to a severe financial crisis. The nation faced crippling inflation, daily power cuts and shortages of food, fuel and other essential goods. The movement culminated with protestors storming the presidential and prime minister’s residences, forcing President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign.
When there is unrest in the socio-political dynamics of the neighbouring countries, there are few people expecting the same scenario to happen in Bharat. In that time, our youth are demonstrating that rather than any vested anti-national interests, they stand together for the nation’s betterment. In the Patna University Students’ Union (PUSU) elections held on March 29, 2025, ABVP won the president’s post. Maithili Mrinalini, the ABVP candidate, was elected president, becoming the first woman to hold the position in the university’s history. Further, ABVP scored a historic victory in the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections, winning the president’s post for the first time in five decades. Gaurav Veer Sohal, a research scholar, was elected as the new student council president. The trend continued in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections held on September 18, 2025. ABVP’s Aryan Maan defeated NSUI candidate Joslyn Nandita Choudhary by over 16,000 votes in the President’s post. Kunal Chaudhary and Deepika Jha were further elected as the Secretary and Joint Secretary of the Union. Adding to this as a bonus, in the HCUSU elections held on September 19, ABVP secured a landslide victory, sweeping all six major posts. This win marks a significant political shift, as it is the first time the ABVP has taken control of the student body in seven years, ending a period dominated by Left alliances.
In HCU, ABVP focused its campaign on issues relevant to students, such as violence prevention on campus, land disputes concerning the university’s 2,300 acres, and improvements to hostels, fees and other campus facilities. Siva Palepu, Debendra, Shruti Priya, Saurabh Shukla, Venus and Jwala were elected in a huge margin to the major posts. It is to be further noted that Venus, who has been elected as the Cultural Secretary from the ABVP panel, is from Manipur. When the opposition leaders of Bharat are propagating false narratives about the people of Manipur, we witnessed a testament from Venus, that the nationalism that our brothers & sisters hold from these states is are powerful sword to fight the left fanaticism.
The main mode of operation of the left terror fringe elements is that they don’t contest the elections alone. Recently, the SFI State secretary of Kerala alleged that the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) has become the mouthpiece of the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Campus Front. He accused the organisation of attempting to divide students on a communal basis. The same SFI was seen in the alliance with MSF in certain college union elections under DUSU. The electoral mandate that Gen Z has given to ABVP is not only a clear indication that the students are against left groups, but also an eye-opener that the Islamic fundamentalist groups are also rejected by the student population of Bharat. Muslim League, a regional party based in Kerala, which promotes divisiveness among students based on their religion in the campuses, has well announced alliances outside Kerala with Fraternity and Campus Front.
Some Surveys portray a general decline in active political interest among India’s youth, with a significant percentage disinclined towards conventional political participation. A study following the 2024 Lok Sabha elections showed that youth political participation was on par with other age groups, suggesting a decline from previous years when it was notably higher. Platforms like Instagram are a primary source of political news for Gen Z, influencing how they perceive and discuss political issues. This shift also means they receive unfiltered feedback on politicians and can mobilize around topics that concern them. But, from the recent scenarios and results that the central universities of Bharat are giving us shows that Bharat’s Gen Z knows the right way. They know how to bring changes in society, and who to choose, by upholding Bharat’s cultural and traditional values. This year also marks the Janmashathi of Prof. Yeswant Rao Khelkar, who is known as the architect of ABVP. He devised a Karya padhathi, which stressed the importance of planning in advance and planning in detail. The detailed planning and early initiatives of ABVP in campuses like Parisar Chalo Abhiyan, Parishad Ki Pathshala, Mission Sahasi, Ritumati Abhiyam and multiple verticals of activities of work through Aayams like Students for Seva, Students for Development, Rashtriya Kala Manch and Khelo Bharat have been instrumental in pulling off a vibrant student community whose interests lie in diverse areas. While the rest of Bharat is discussing how ABVP won these elections, they are in the early planning stages of upcoming student initiatives to bring a change and provide the happiest and meaningful student life.
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