New Delhi, April 27, 2025 – The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) election for 2025 is reaching its climax, with the United Left alliance (comprising AISA and DSF) leading in three out of four central panel posts as the vote count enters its final stages. With roughly 500 ballots left to be counted, the latest update from X user Harsh (
@Kahaniistaan
) at 6:08 PM IST on Sunday reveals a tight race that has kept students and observers on edge.Vote Count Breakdown
According to the update, the current vote tallies for the four key positions are as follows:
- President: United Left (AISA-DSF) – 1577 votes, ABVP – 1375 votes
- Vice President: ABVP – 1080 votes, United Left (AISA-DSF) – 1076 votes
- General Secretary: United Left (AISA-DSF) – 1410 votes, ABVP – 1341 votes
- Joint Secretary: ABVP – 1464 votes, United Left (AISA-DSF) – 1350 votes
The United Left alliance is currently ahead in the President and General Secretary posts by 202 and 69 votes, respectively, while also holding a competitive position in the Joint Secretary race despite trailing ABVP by 114 votes. The Vice President post remains the closest contest, with ABVP leading by a razor-thin margin of just 4 votes.
A Rollercoaster Election
The 2025 JNUSU election has been nothing short of a thriller, with multiple lead changes throughout the day. Earlier updates from Harsh (
@Kahaniistaan
) showed ABVP leading on all four seats after 40% of the votes were counted, only for the United Left to stage a comeback as counting progressed. At one point, with over 90% of votes tallied, the United Left was leading in three posts, but ABVP regained ground, reclaiming leads in three seats before the latest update tilted the scales back in favor of the Left alliance.The election has been marked by a fractured Left, with AISA and DSF forming the United Left coalition, while other Left groups like SFI and AISF fielded separate candidates. This division echoes earlier concerns raised in the day when Harsh noted that the Left’s failure to form a broader coalition might prove “fatal” against ABVP, the student wing affiliated with the RSS.
Context and Historical Trends
The JNUSU elections have historically been a stronghold for Left-leaning student groups. A study by the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) covering 1974–2017 shows that the Left has dominated the union, with SFI winning the President post 22 times and AISA securing it 11 times, while ABVP has managed only one victory in that period. In 2024, the United Left alliance (then including AISA, SFI, DSF, and AISF) swept all four central panel posts, with AISA’s Dhananjay elected as President with 2,598 votes against ABVP’s 1,676.
However, this year’s election has also highlighted ABVP’s growing influence. A report from Organiser.org earlier today noted that ABVP achieved a historic feat by winning 23 out of 42 councillor seats across 16 schools and special centres—the highest by any student organization in JNU history. Despite this, their performance in the central panel race remains a close contest.
What’s Next?
With only 500 ballots left to count, the final results of the JNUSU 2025 election are expected to be announced soon, potentially later tonight. The outcome will determine whether the United Left can maintain its historical dominance or if ABVP can capitalize on its recent gains to secure more central panel positions. Students and political observers alike are glued to updates from JNU channels, as the race remains too close to call for several posts.
The election, tagged #JNUElection2025 and #jnusuelection2025 on social media, continues to generate buzz, with users like
@Humorosaurus
and @confumbit
engaging actively with Harsh’s updates, reflecting the high stakes and intense interest in this year’s contest. As the counting concludes, all eyes are on JNU to see which alliance will shape the university’s student leadership for the coming year.
