The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has secured all 12 seats in the student union at Government Sanskrit College, Tripunithura, ending the Students' Federation of India’s (SFI) long-standing control over the Kerala campus.
The result is significant for the college, which has been regarded as an SFI stronghold for decades. Reports have variously described the period of SFI dominance as more than 30 years and around 40 years.
However, this year's result came without a direct contest. No candidates from SFI, KSU or other student organisations filed nominations by the September 17 deadline. ABVP candidates therefore secured all 12 positions unopposed. The formal declaration of the union is scheduled for September 29 under the Mahatma Gandhi University election process.
Among those elected are Snigdha M Hari as Chairperson and Aditya T A as Vice-Chairperson. Vignesh Bhatt was elected General Secretary, while Vignesh D secured the Magazine Editor post.
The development follows an ABVP breakthrough at the same college last year. In the previous election, ABVP won 10 posts in a contested election against SFI. This year's uncontested sweep gives the organisation control of the entire union.
ABVP has described the result as a rejection of what it called the previous union's “anti-student policies”. The organisation has also cited issues including the promotion of Sanskrit activities and the use of student funds. It said the result could encourage its units on other campuses in Kerala.
The result comes days after ABVP won three of the four central posts in the Delhi University Students' Union elections. It has also recently made gains in several Delhi University college-level elections.
The Tripunithura result, however, needs to be read in the context of the absence of competing nominations this year. It marks a clear change from the college's earlier SFI dominance, but it was not a contested ABVP-SFI election.
