Hyderabad: After seven years, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) made a sweeping victory at the University of Hyderabad’s Students’ Union elections, whose results were declared on Sunday, September 21.
ABVP, the student wing affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), secured all six key positions. Shiva Palepu was elected as President, Devendra as Vice President, Shruti Priya as General Secretary, Saurabh Shukla as Joint Secretary, Jwala as Sports Secretary, and Venus as Cultural Secretary.
The last time the right-aligned party had such a sweeping win was during the 2018-19 elections, with the ABVP, Other Backward Classes Federation (OBCF) and Sevalal Vidyarthi Dal (SLVD) alliance securing all six of the posts.
The University of Hyderabad (UoH) elections this year were held over the sudden dissolution of the students’ union on September 10, sparking protests and a hunger strike on the campus.
The students’ union, led by the Students’ Federation of India, Ambedkar Students’ Association, Dalit Students’ Union, and Bahujan Students’ Front, was terminated without giving prior notice and sans discussion with its office bearers.
The decision was approved by the Vice-Chancellor and was announced through a notification from the Office of the Dean, Students’ Welfare. However, students had pointed out that the order was issued despite the current union’s unfinished tenure, which had assumed power in November 2024 and had notified activities scheduled until October this year.
In an all-party meeting held on September 8, every organisation except the ABVP agreed that new elections must not be held until the current union had completed its notified activities.
However, the university contended that it was following the Lyngdoh Committee report, which lists recommendations for university and college students’ union elections.
According to the report, elections must be held every year between six and eight weeks from the date of commencement of the academic session. The university had said that they were merely following the recommendation, as six weeks had passed since the commencement of the academic session on July 16.
BJP State President congratulates ABVP
Telangana BJP State President N Ramchander Rao congratulated ABVP for its victory in the students’ union elections, saying, “This win once again proves that ABVP is the sole representative of the true aspirations of students. The ABVP has received unprecedented support as its member students believe and have a clear understanding that the nation comes first, followed by caste and religion.”
He recounted the Rohit Vemula suicide, saying that opposition parties had “spread lies and malicious propaganda” against the ABVP and the BJP, but ultimately, “the students themselves realised the truth.”
“This victory was a strong response to the disruptive leftist and separatist forces,” he said.
