ABVP Breaches Left Bastion, Sweeps Student Union Elections In Kerala College

Thiruvananthapuram: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP's ideological parent, the RSS, has taken control of the Tripunithura Government Sanskrit College union from the Students' Federation of India (SFI), winning every seat in the college union elections. The result brings an end to years of SFI dominance at a college long seen as one of its strongholds in Kerala.The SFI had run the college union for years, but the ABVP swept the election this time, winning all six major posts. The win comes soon after another political shift in the area, the BJP recently took charge of Tripunithura municipality, ending 45 years of Left-led rule in the local body.The ABVP has now made a similar breakthrough on campus, at a college that had remained under Left control for more than four decades.Read: How One Ticket Decision Cost Congress All Seats In Delhi University PollsABVP Calls It A Rejection Of SFI's RecordThe ABVP described the result as a rejection of what it called the SFI's "anti-student policies". A representative of the organisation said the win at this college would give a strong boost to other ABVP units across Kerala's campuses.The representative also accused previous SFI-led unions of failing to promote Sanskrit, raised questions over how funds collected from students had been used, and alleged that enough student programmes had not been organised during the SFI's tenure.Snigdha M Hari was elected Chairperson, while Aditya T A won the Vice-Chairperson's post. Vignesh Bhatt was elected General Secretary, Vignesh D became Magazine Editor, and Anjali T was elected Arts Club Secretary.Nivedya K N won the post of University Union Councillor, while Shivani R and Avani C B were elected Second UG Representative and Second PG Representative respectively.For the ABVP, sweeping a college where the SFI had held sway for years is being seen as a major organisational breakthrough in Tripunithura. The result also gives the organisation fresh momentum in the wider contest between student groups for political space on Kerala's campuses.