New Delhi, Apr 28 (PTI) The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad has declared its sole victory in the JNUSU polls after nearly a decade-long drought a "new dawn of nationalism" in the campus politics, which has historically been dominated by the Leftist parties.

The RSS-affiliated group's Vaibhav Meena secured the post of Joint Secretary in the Jawaharlal University Students' Union elections after a nine-year gap.

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Meena, who got 1,518 votes, narrowly surpassed AISA's Naresh Kumar by 85 votes.

The victory marks ABVP's first central panel win since 2015–16 and poses a challenge to the Left's hold on JNU.

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Hailing from Karauli, Rajasthan, Meena comes from a tribal farming family.

He holds a post-graduate degree in Hindi Literature from Banaras Hindu University and is currently pursuing research at JNU's Centre of Indian Languages. Meena has served as the President of Kaveri Hostel and has been actively involved in the National Service Scheme (NSS).

Following his victory, Meena asserted, "A new dawn of nationalism has begun in JNU. This victory is not just mine, but a win for every student who believes in the power of education to rebuild our nation and promote cultural identity."

While the Left-wing AISA-DSF alliance won the top three central panel posts — President, Vice-President, and General Secretary — Meena's win frustrated a Leftist clean-sweep and betrayed the ABVP's rising influence.

The Left too recognised the ABVP's breakthrough as a bellwether of the changing political landscape on the campus.

More so, ABVP also secured 24 out of 46 councillor seats across various schools and special centres. Breaches in the traditionally Left-leaning academic holdouts, such as the School of Social Sciences and the School of International Studies indicated ABVP's growing support base.

The elections, held on April 25, saw a voter turnout of around 70 per cent, with approximately 5,500 of 7,906 eligible students casting their votes.

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