It was a debut for the student wing of Rashtriya Janata Dal in the JNUSU polls this year, with Jayant Kumar fighting for the post of president. He got 540 votes and finished fourth among eight candidates.
Kumar, who had until very recently been associated with AISF and was also the secretary of its unit in JNU, had resigned. In his resignation, Jayant, the once close aide of former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, had blamed the JNU leader of being a “casteist”, saying that “he is one of the many people who are red from outside but saffron from inside”.
By securing 10.4% of the total votes polled for the post of president, Kumar said this was more than just a moral victory for him. “This was my debut, and yet we have been able to get over 500 votes in an election wherein four parties had come together. This is not just a moral victory for me, but also a statistical victory. I was hoping to get even more votes, close to 900-1,000 after my presidential debate speech…,” he said.
News Source (Indian Express)