Meet Dhananjay, JNUSU’s first Dalit president

Dhananjay has been elected as first Dalit president from the Left-backed groups after nearly three decades. Dhananjay defeated the ABVP's Umesh Chandra Ajmeera to win the presidency. The JNU Election Committee Chairperson, Shailendra Kumar, announced him the winner after he received 2598 votes.

Dhananjay hails from Gaya, Bihar and is a PhD student from the School of Arts and Aesthetics. He voiced concerns about the higher costs as a result of university loans from the Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA) during the JNUSU presidential debate. He promised to address infrastructure, health, and water-related problems on campus and called for the release of student leaders who were being held on sedition charges.

The Left party won all four seats with great ease at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Students' Union Election that were held on Friday, March 22 after four years of interval.

According to the sources, Dhananjay (Left) received 2598 votes for the president's position, whereas Umesh Chandra Ajmeera (ABVP) received 1676 votes.

With 2409 votes, Left-leaning candidate Avijit Ghosh defeated the ABVP's Deepika Sharma to become Vice President.

Priyanshi Arya, supported by the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA), became the General Secretary after getting 2887 votes. Mo Sajid from the Left won the Joint Secretary's seat with 2574 votes.

Newly elected JNU President Dhananjay while speaking to ANI said, “If there is anyone who has fought against fee hike it is the Left. It is the Left that has ensured a hostel for all and for that, the students have shown their trust in us..."

The last JNUSU election was won by a left-wing student organisation, Student Federation of India’s (SFI) candidate, Aishe Ghosh, in 2019.
Under the United-Left Alliance banner, left-wing student outfits had united to run in the 2019 elections. This alliance comprised a coalition of the Democratic Students' Federation (DSF), the All India Students' Federation (AISF), the Student Federation of India (SFI), and the All India Students' Association (AISA).