The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union elections this year witnessed the victory of two Dalit students, Priyanshi Arya and Dhananjay, who secured the positions of general secretary and president respectively.
Priyanshi Arya, a 23-year-old from Haldwani, Uttarakhand, is the oldest of three daughters from a middle-class family. Her journey to social work was inspired by her experiences of caste discrimination growing up. Arya, a first-year PhD student in Philosophy at JNU, defeated ABVP candidate Arjun Anand by a margin of 926 votes.
Upon joining JNU, Arya found a sense of belonging with the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Student’s Association (BAPSA). As general secretary, she plans to reinstate an effective Gender Sensitisation Against Sexual Harassment on campus. Arya aspires to become a teacher and continue her social work in Haldwani.
Arya clarified that BAPSA did not form an alliance with the United Left in this year’s election. She stated, “We never asked the Left to support us. They volunteered to do so as their candidate’s nomination got cancelled… It is unfair for the Left to take credit for BAPSA winning a post in the central panel.”
Dhananjay, a 28-year-old from Gaya, is the youngest of six siblings. His father is a retired policeman and his mother is a homemaker. He pursued his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from DU’s Aurobindo College and his Masters from Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD). Currently, he is a first-year PhD student in Theatre at JNU.
Like Arya, Dhananjay’s experiences with caste discrimination inspired him to advocate for the marginalized. He began his journey in student politics as a councillor at AUD and chose to align with the All India Students’ Association (AISA) due to its ideological proximity to his beliefs.
During his tenure as president, Dhananjay aims to address the issues of increasing stipend amounts for student fellowships and the recruitment of single ideology-bearing faculty members. He stated, “A Dalit student, despite being hardworking and talented, is not being considered in interviews… due to a single-ideology group of professors being appointed to the varsity. It is time we demand a change in this.”
He shared his views on why the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) can never take over JNU. He stated, “Money and muscle power don’t matter here, where most students are from marginalised backgrounds. Students value their vote and choose a candidate for their ideas.”
Dhananjay, who aspires to be a politician, also expressed his passion for theatre. He said, “It has always been close to my heart. I was actively a part of it even during my DU days. Currently, I teach theatre to a few students twice a year.”
According to the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Dhananjay is the first Dalit JNUSU president in two decades. This significant achievement marks a milestone in the history of JNUSU.
On Tuesday, the four elected candidates, including Dhananjay and Priyanshi Arya, the new general secretary, took their oaths of office, ready to serve and represent the student body in the coming year.
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