The Panjab University Students’ Council elections proved to be historic for the ABVP, the student wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as the party won the president’s post for the first time since the university began holding direct elections in 1977 — a first in 48 years.
While the ABVP has been active in the Panjab University (PU) politics for close to five decades, the president’s position in the PUCSC elections has always eluded the party. While the party has won other posts, it has been in alliance with other parties.
Gaurav Veer Sohal, a research scholar from the Department of Laws, won the post of president with 3,148 votes, defeating his closest rival, Sumit Kumar, who secured 2,660 votes, by a margin of 488 votes. Mankirat Singh Mann followed with 1,184 votes, while Parabjot Singh Gill polled 1,359 votes. The women contenders could not make a mark, lagging behind, with Ardas securing 318 votes, Seerat getting 422 votes, and Navneet Kaur 136 votes.
“This would not just be his win, but a victory for all the students of the university,” Sohal said.
Earlier, traffic jams, waterlogging due to torrential rain, and strict checking by police personnel had the PU administration requesting all the chairpersons to allow students entry to departments till 10.45 am to cast their votes.
As many as 16,000 were registered to vote, but as per data, turnout was only 53 per cent, due to the inclement weather. As many as eight candidates contested for the post of president of PUCSC, with three women candidates, and five candidates for the post of vice-president, five for general secretary and four for the joint secretary.
To maintain order during the elections, the university campus had heavy security deployment, including 11 DSPs, 10 SHOs, 10 Inspectors, 9 outpost in-charges, and 988 police personnel. Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur personally supervised the security arrangements.
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The ABVP fielded its candidate only for the post of president, and as per a party member, the groundwork and connect that Sohal had with the students made all the difference.
For the vice-president’s post, Ashmeet Singh (SATH) registered a landslide victory, securing 3,478 votes, defeating Naveen Kumar, who got 2,828 votes by a margin of 650 votes. Navdeep Singh secured 2,074 votes, Jatin Kamboj 758 votes, and Esha Chander 120 votes.
For the post of general secretary, Abhishek Dagar (SOPU) emerged triumphant with 3,438 votes, defeating Vishesh Anand Dhaka, who polled 2,716 votes, by a margin of 722 votes. Komal Preet Kaur bagged 1,735 votes, Jatin Dagar 660 votes, and Sahil Jangra 531 votes.
Independent candidate Mohit Manderana stunned many by winning the joint secretary post with 3,138 votes, defeating Aryan Verma (Yuvi), who managed 2,820 votes, by 318 votes. Sidharth Boora secured 2,074 votes, while Sagar Khatri got 1,093 votes.
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“All the top and key posts have been secured by candidates from different parties, and it will be worthwhile to see how they align their sensibilities to work for student welfare, as promised by each party. I feel that if there is one panel, more work is done, as there is a unity of thought and action,” Misha Dogra, a student from the Department of History, said.
As for the women candidates not securing a win, Dogra added that work on the ground is most important to build connections with students, which the candidates lacked.
A vision for better PU was the USP of the ABVP manifesto, which, according to Sohal, was student-oriented and was prepared keeping in mind the suggestions received in the campaign ‘My University, My Manifesto 2.0’, run by ABVP. The key highlights of the manifesto included establishing a grievance redressal officer’s office to resolve student concerns related to fees, fellowships, scholarships, security, and administrative hurdles, and ensuring accountability and transparency.
To empower women students, the ABVP proposed permanent reservation of the Department Representative (DR) seats for women, guaranteeing gender representation and inclusivity at the grassroots level of student politics. Setting up of modern synthetic athletics track to boost sports, fitness, 24-hour tuck-shops and canteen facilities on both campuses for those engaged in research, projects, and late-night study sessions, placement festivals to promote internships and academic performance and installing SOS panic buttons at every 100 meters on campus, centrally linked with the security control room of PU. The win today, expressed by a senior party member, is that of a thought, and its voice will reach far and wide.
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Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar congratulated the ABVP for “scripting history” in the polls. “ABVP has scripted history by winning the election for the Presidentship of Panjab University Students’ Council for the first time in 48 years. Heartiest congratulations to Gaurav Veer Sohal on becoming the President of PUSC and kudos to the entire ABVP team for this great victory,” Jakhar wrote on X.
Meanwhile, celebrations for the historic win began outside the Gymnasium Hall and travelled to the Students’ Centre, with supporters of Sohal and party members all set for a long evening ahead.
