ABVP retains PUCSC presidency as last-minute SOI support bolsters saffron outfit

The Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) elections ended with a dramatic political payoff on Monday as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) retained the council’s presidency for a second consecutive term, with candidate Ankit Bidhan defeating his closest rival Aadil Brar of ASAP by 512 votes.

Both the other key parties — Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP) and National Students' Union of India (NSUI) — fail to win any students’ council post.

ABVP received last-minute support from the Students’ Organisation of India (SOI), which emerged as a crucial factor in the final political arithmetic. The late realignment helped consolidate support behind Bidhan and gave ABVP the edge in a contest that had remained fiercely competitive through the campaign.

The result reinforces ABVP’s growing influence on the Panjab University (PU) campus. The organisation ended its long wait for the presidency last year when research scholar Gauravveer Singh Sohal won the top post. Bidhan’s victory now establishes that last year’s breakthrough was not an isolated success and gives ABVP back-to-back presidential victories.

After the results were announced, Bidhan spoke with the media persons and said, “It is not my sole victory. It is the victory of the entire Gen Z”.

The road to the result, however, was marked by protests and allegations of restrictions on voters at the Department of Laws. Polling began across university departments between 9 am and 9.30 am, but tension escalated shortly afterwards at the law department, where students alleged that entry gates were repeatedly closed during voting hours.

According to protesting students, the gates were locked soon after polling began, reopened briefly around 9.50 am, and were closed again by approximately 10.15 am. Students who claimed they were unable to enter the department premises gathered outside and formed a human chain, raising slogans including “DSW Murdabad” and “PU Prashasan Murdabad”.

Police personnel were deployed at the spot as the protest intensified. Mohammed Kamil, a UILS student, alleged that he was forcibly detained by security personnel after demanding that students be allowed to vote.

“I will ensure that every single student gets to exercise their right to vote,” Kamil said, calling the restrictions unfair.

Another law student, Rahul Chauhan, alleged that students faced undue pressure from official forces deployed at the site. Students also raised objections over the positioning of female security personnel at entry points, claiming that it affected the movement of voters towards the polling area.

Dean Student Welfare (DSW) Prof. Yogesh Rawal reached the site at around 12:15 pm in an attempt to defuse the situation. He assured protesting students that CCTV footage from the department gates would be examined to establish the sequence of events and said that eligible students who had reached the campus on time would be allowed to cast their votes.

The intervention helped ease the immediate standoff, although questions remained among sections of the student community over the conduct of polling during the crucial final hours.

By evening, the mood on campus had changed dramatically. As counting began at the Gymnasium Hall amid heavy security, supporters gathered in large numbers, with drumbeats, organisational flags and celebrations taking over the campus.

Bidhan emerged at the centre of the celebrations after securing the presidency with 3,149 votes, defeating ASAP’s Aadil Brar by a margin of 512 votes.

The result was particularly significant because the presidency was the only executive position won by ABVP. Voters delivered a fragmented mandate across the remaining three posts, handing victories to candidates from different student organisations.

For ABVP, however, retaining the presidency remained the biggest prize.

The remaining executive positions went to candidates representing rival student groups.

Vice-President: Armaan Singh Bhinder of Panjab University Democratic Front (PUDSF) won with 3,322 votes, defeating Aakanksha Thakur, who secured 2,818 votes.