Independent candidate Nirmal Chaudhary was elected president of the Rajasthan University Students’ Union in Jaipur on Saturday, beating his closest rival Niharika Jorwal, another independent candidate, by a margin of more than 1,400 votes.
Jorwal is the daughter of Minister of State Murari Meena, who is considered close to former Deputy Prime Minister and Senior Congress Leader Sachin Pilot. She contested the election as an independent candidate after being denied a ticket by the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress.
Chaudhary received 4,043 votes, while Jorwal received 2,576 votes. NSUI candidate Ritu Barala finished the election race in third position with 2,010 votes and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad’s (ABVP) Narendra Yadav took fourth place with 988 votes. Interestingly, during the Rajasthan University Students Union elections, the candidates asked for votes by lying on the road and holding their feet. A video of candidates lying and touching students’ feet has gone viral on social media.
Meanwhile, the NSUI has expelled Jorwal and five others for contesting the polls as rebel candidates. Independent candidate Amish Meena was elected Vice President, ABVP’s Arvind Jajara as General Secretary and NSUI nominee Dhara Kumwat as Joint Secretary.
After the announcement of the results, the oath was sworn to the panel members. Speaking to reporters, Chaudhary said his rivals had devised several conspiracies to ensure his defeat, but the students voted in his favor.
He said he will present a report of his performance in a month’s time. The results of the student election results in other state universities and their constituent colleges were also announced on Saturday.
Former Prime Minister Vasundhara Raje said eight ABVP candidates were elected president in the elections in the state’s universities, while the NSUI was unable to secure the post at any university. “Seven ABVP candidates have been elected president in the student union elections at the universities of Rajasthan while the NSUI does not hold any presidential post.
“The power of the students has expressed the anger of the people who suffer from the mismanagement of Congress in the state. If the state government wants it, it can see the mirror,” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said in a statement. The Rajasthan BJP chief, Satish Poonia, congratulated the triumphant ABVP candidates and said there is anti-establishment against the state government, adding that people will liberate the state from Congress forever and bring the Saffron Party to power with a huge mandate.
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