ABVP clinches Punjab university polls, Ankit Bidhan elected president
Chandigarh, August 31: In the results of the Punjab University Campus Students Council elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party-affiliated student organization, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), has won the post of president.
The ABVP candidate Ankit Bidhan won the post. The Shiromani Akali Dal’s student organization, Student Organization of India, had supported the ABVP in this election. This is being seen as a significant success for organizations affiliated with the Akali Dal and BJP in student politics ahead of next year’s Punjab Assembly elections.
Results for four key positions in the Punjab University Campus Students Council elections 2026-27 have been declared. Ankit won the post of President with 3,149 votes, compared to 2,637 for Adil Brar, 2,263 for Gurman Singh Sidhu, and 1,387 for Darshpreet Singh, while NOTA received 174 votes.
Arman Singh (Bhinder) won the post of Vice President with 3,322 votes, compared to 2,818 for Aranksha Thakur, 1,284 for Vipul Bhadu, 1,053 for Manmeet Kaur, and 652 for Arman Singh, while NOTA received 465 votes.
Dhyan Singh (Sameer) won the post of Secretary with 4,045 votes. Aryan Saharan received 3,678 votes, and Muskan Chauhan received 1,286 votes, while NOTA received 581 votes. Vishal (Bamal) won the post of Joint Secretary with 3,506 votes. Devraj Singh Nain received 2,338 votes, Ram Chander Singh 1,656, and Amin Kaur 1,141, while NOTA received 938 votes.
Ankit Bidhan has been elected president of the Punjab University Students Union for the first time. Last time, the ABVP candidate also won the election, but the organization did not have the support of the SOI. This time, after the SOI withdrew from the electoral fray, it decided to support the ABVP, which had an impact on the electoral dynamics.
In addition to Ankit Bidhan of the ABVP, Adil Bir Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party-backed student organization ASP, Gurman Singh Sidhu of the Congress student organization NSUI, and Darshpreet Singh, who joined the party, were also in the fray for the post of president. A total of 16 candidates competed for various positions in the election. Voting also took place for the positions of president, vice president, secretary, joint secretary, and departmental representatives.
Supporters celebrated after the victory.
ABVP supporters celebrated on campus after the results were announced. Ankit Bidhan described his victory as a victory for the youth, especially for the Gen-G. He celebrated by breaking the Aam Aadmi Party’s election symbol, the broom.
With Ankit Bidhan’s election as president, the ABVP has strengthened its position in student union politics. In the election results, the AAP-supported student organization came in second, and the NSUI came in third.
A commotion broke out in the Law Department during voting.
Tensions also erupted outside the Law Department of Punjab University during the student union elections. During voting, some students created a ruckus outside the department gate. A scuffle also broke out between students and police.
Students alleged that despite the scheduled voting time, the Law Department gate was closed at around 10 am, preventing some students from casting their votes. During the commotion, police attempted to remove the ballot box from the premises, but protesting students resisted and prevented the removal.
Following this, some students staged a sit-in protest. Police officers attempted to pacify the protesting students. Police presence was increased to control the situation, and reports emerged of some protesting students being removed from the scene.
Tight security at all three entry points:
In view of the elections, strict security arrangements were made on the Punjab University campus. Entry and exit points were checked at all three entry points. Special attention was paid to the movement of outsiders, and additional security forces were deployed at sensitive locations.
After the election process was completed, the ballot boxes were transported to the designated location and the counting process began. The results for departmental representatives were displayed in their respective departments, while the results for key positions were announced in the gymnasium hall.
