JNUSU election: Left leads in all 4 seats
New Delhi, Sept 16 (IBNS): As the counting progresses for Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union election, results till Sunday noon showed Left leading in all four central panel posts of the prestigious university.
Around 69 percent of the votes have been counted so far.
N Sai Balaji, the United Left’s candidate for the president’s post is leading by 804 votes.
His nearest rival is Lalit Pandey of the AVBP, which has links to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Balaji had secured 1467 votes against Pandey’s 663 after 3587 votes out of 5185 votes had been counted.
A day after violence, protest and tension, the results of the much-followed students' union election at Delhi's JNU are expected on Sunday.
Counting for votes continued throughout the night with hundreds of students, faculty members and political volunteers gathering at the counting centre.
At least 10 people were injured in the clashes that broke out in the campus on Saturday evening.
Both the left and the right wing accused each other of sparking unrest in the campus.
Following violence, a case was also filed at the Vasant Kunj police station.
Earlier on Saturday, the counting for the votes were suspended after an attack on the counting centre allegedly by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) students group.
Counting later resumed around 6 in the evening.
The JNU Election Committee however, did not mention the name of any political party in the attack.
"The counting process, which began at 10 pm on September 14, has been suspended due to the forced entry into the counting venue, and attempts to snatch sealed ballot boxes and papers," a statement from the JNU Election Committee, available with media, read.
Shehla Rashid, former union vice president, blamed ABVP for the attack.
"Shocked! Never seen something like this in JNU. ABVP goons broke glass doors and forcibly tried to enter the #JNUSU_Election2018 counting venue last night. They attacked the members of Election Committee and tried to snatch ballot boxes. Counting suspended," she tweeted.
Shocked! Never seen something like this in JNU. ABVP goons broke glass doors and forcibly tried to enter the #JNUSU_Election2018 counting venue last night. They attacked the members of Election Committee and tried to snatch ballot boxes. Counting suspended.
— Shehla Rashid (@Shehla_Rashid) September 15, 2018
Photos via @Mohit_JNU pic.twitter.com/77f1UewLqi
"Heartbreaking how JNU election process is being tainted with violence by ABVP losers. The counting process used to be a festival, a celebration. Today, it's marred by fear. I don't think any alumnus would have the heart to witness what's going on.
#JNUFightsBack," she further wrote.
Heartbreaking how JNU election process is being tainted with violence by ABVP losers. The counting process used to be a festival, a celebration. Today, it's marred by fear. I don't think any alumnus would have the heart to witness what's going on.#JNUFightsBack
— Shehla Rashid (@Shehla_Rashid) September 15, 2018
The right-wing though denied the claims and said they protested peacefully against the EC as they were being biased towards the left.
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