ABVP Wins PU Students’ Council President Post for the First Time

Chandigarh : In the 48-year history of the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections, the RSS and BJP-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has won the presidential post for the first time ever. ABVP’s candidate, Gaurav Veer Sohal, a research scholar from the Department of Laws, won the post by a margin of 488 votes.

ABVP contested the elections in alliance with INSO and HSRC. Gaurav polled 3,148 votes, while Sumit Kumar of the Students’ Front and its allies received 2,660 votes. However, ABVP’s alliance partners lost in all other positions.

Among the eight candidates for the top post, NSUI’s Parabjot Singh Gill and ASAP’s Mankirat Singh Mann also crossed the 1,000-vote mark, receiving 1,359 and 1,184 votes respectively. Seerat of SOI got 422 votes, Ardas of SOPU 318, and Jobanpreet Singh of PSU (Lalkaar) 198 votes. Navneet Kaur of ASF secured 136 votes. Surprisingly, 188 students opted for NOTA.

What Worked for ABVP:
Infighting among major political groups narrowed the fight to just two main contenders. In the last election, the Students’ Front won by a margin of 303 votes. While the situation was similar this year, the vote margin shifted in favor of ABVP. Internal disputes among NSUI, PSUSU, and SOPU gave ABVP a clear edge.

Sumit Kumar, who had backing from four other parties, was expected to win, but last-minute changes due to infighting gave ABVP the advantage. With a majority of students from Haryana and Punjab, this victory holds significant importance for ABVP.

Low Voter Turnout:
Due to heavy rain, the university recorded the lowest voter turnout in recent years, with a total of 9,613 votes — around 59%. Last year, turnout was 66.5%. The authorities extended voting hours to 10:45 AM instead of the scheduled 9:00 AM to encourage more students to vote, but it did not significantly improve turnout.