CHANDIGARH — In a historic outcome for student politics at Panjab University, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) candidate Ankit Bidhan has been elected president of the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC), securing the top post by a decisive margin of more than 500 votes. The victory marks the first time in the institution’s history that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated student outfit has retained the presidential seat for two consecutive terms.
Bidhan, a research scholar at the university hailing from Jind, Haryana, emerged triumphant following a fiercely contested multi-cornered electoral battle. Supported by an alliance with the Student Organisation of India (SOI), Bidhan fended off strong challenges from major rival factions, including the AAP-backed Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP), the Congress party’s National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), and independent campus student groups.
The high-stakes election witnessed active participation across university departments, concluding weeks of vigorous campaigning focused on campus governance, infrastructure upgrades, and academic policies. Polling and subsequent vote counting took place amid tight security arrangements on campus, culminating in vibrant celebrations among supporters outside the counting centres as the final results were confirmed.
As the newly elected council prepares to assume office, the leadership faces the immediate task of addressing long-standing student welfare priorities, hostel accommodations, laboratory facilities, and institutional representation before the university administration. The outcome further solidifies ABVP’s expanding organizational foothold within northern India’s higher education landscape, setting the operational agenda for the incoming student council’s upcoming term.
