Rebels rule the roost in RUSU

Jaipur:

Rebel

candidates have been winning Rajasthan University Students’ Union (RUSU) polls for four years in a row. In 2016, Ankit Dhayal, an ABVP rebel, was elected as president. In 2017, ABVP rebel Pawan Yadav won the president’s post. In 2018, NSUI rebel Vinod Jhakhad won the polls. This year, it’s NSUI rebel Pooja Verma. The victory of rebel candidates has raised questions in students’ circles about deserving candidates not being given tickets.

University student Ankit Kothari (name change) said, “Both the parties give tickets to the highest bidder. Elections are a very costly affair and tickets are sold up to Rs 50 lakh. No ordinary student can afford such heavy price. Last year, Jhakhad, a very popular student of the university, was not given ticket by his party. He later on contested independently and won.”

ABVP general secretary Hushyaar Meena, however, refuted the claim. “We always give tickets to deserving ones, but some external powers support the Independent candidates causing the party to suffer. We give tickets to students who have been active on campus for years.” NSUI general secretary Abhimanyu Poonia had recently told TOI, “These elections are between two parties. Last year, Jhakhad was a powerful candidate who worked on the campus for the entire year. Hence, his claim was very strong. These rebels are not known and do not stand a chance. We will win.” He was out of reach after the results were declared.