Pro-Left student bodies retain control in Jadavpur University

Pro-Left student bodies retained their hold in two of the three faculties of the Jadavpur University, where results were declared on Thursday.

Counting of votes has been held up in another faculty where the SFI was leading before counting of votes was stopped there due to a technical reason, a university official said.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) which is contesting the polls for the first time in JU secured the second spot in the Engineering faculty relegating the SFI to the third position.

The Trinamool Chhatra Parishad, ruling TMC's student wing, is in the fourth position, the official said after the results were declared.

The We The Independents (WTI), another pro-Left student outfit, retained its control in the Science faculty securing all four central panel seats.

Each central panel has posts of a chairperson, a general secretary and two or three assistant general secretaries.

Counting of votes in the Arts faculty has been held up due to some technical problems and will be announced by late evening, the official said adding that the SFI is leading there.

Elections were held in the university, known as a hotbed of Left-wing politics, on Wednesday after a gap of three years.

The JU official said the Democratic Students' Federation (DSF) won all the five central panel seats in the Engineering faculty.

While the DSF bagged 3,304 votes, the ABVP got 508 votes. The SFI and the TMCP secured 288 and 77 votes respectively, the official said.

DSF leader Abhik said, "The results showed that JU students will never allow any divisive force to spread their ideology of hatred in the campus."

The RSS-affiliated ABVP which fielded its candidates for the first time in JU is yet to open its account.

"We have secured the second position in Engineering faculty by winning over 500 votes. This is our biggest gain," an ABVP leader said.

In the Arts Faculty, SFI was leading in all four central panel seats when counting was held up, the official said.

The SFI, ABVP, TMCP and the All India Students Association (AISA) are contesting for the four central panel seats in Arts faculty.