New Delhi, Mar 23 (PTI) A student of Jawaharlal Nehru University has been sitting on a hunger strike for over 32 hours now after her candidacy was revoked for the university’s student union elections, which took place on March 22.
Swati Singh, a nominee from the United Left Alliance for the JNUSU central panel, started an indefinite hunger strike on campus in protest against the cancellation of her nomination for the position of general secretary.
Singh’s candidacy was annulled by the JNUSU Election Committee just hours before polling commenced on Friday.
Her nomination was revoked after it was challenged by the RSS-affiliated student union ABVP with the Grievance Redressal Cell of the university.
Commencing her indefinite hunger strike at 2:30 pm on Friday amidst ongoing polling, Singh demanded re-nomination and re-election for the role of general secretary.
Earlier in the day, university doctors conducted Singh’s medical examination after she had been on strike for over 24 hours.
Speaking to PTI, Singh alleged that the EC acted under the influence of the “administration and ABVP nexus”.
“If my candidature was not in accordance with rules, why did the EC declare my nomination as valid in the first place,” she added.
The EC, in a notification dated March 16, released a list of candidates whose nominations were deemed valid for the JNUSU central panel, with Singh’s name included in the list.
Accusing the EC of colluding with the administration and ABVP, Singh said, “This is a deliberate attempt to deter me from standing in the polls.” There was no immediate response from the EC regarding Singh’s allegations.
Singh has demanded re-nomination and re-election for the post of general secretary in the JNU Students Union.
The JNUSU Election Committee is presently tallying the votes, with results scheduled for early Sunday morning. PTI SJJ NB NB
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