CHANDIGARH, September 3 — Gaurav Veer Sohal of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has been elected president of the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC), marking the student wing of the BJP’s first win in 48 years, sources said.
Sohal, a research scholar from the University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS), secured 3,147 votes, defeating Sumit Sharma of the Students’ Front and Alliance, who received 2,631 votes, by a margin of 514 votes. The university has yet to announce the official results.
Contesting in alliance with the Indian National Student Organisation (INSO) and Haryana Rajya Students’ Council (HRSC), Sohal maintained his lead throughout the counting process. While the alliance won the top post, it trailed in other positions, including vice president, secretary and joint secretary.
“I am happy that my team’s hard work paid off. There were several questions about ABVP’s proximity with university officials, but we want to make it clear that we will fight for students’ rights, no matter what labels are attached to us,” Sohal said after his victory.
The ABVP’s rise comes after years of limited presence in PUCSC. Last year, its presidential candidate trailed third, though the group entered the council after 12 years by winning the joint secretary’s post without an alliance. In 2013, the party had secured the vice-president post, and in 2010, it won the secretary’s post in alliance with the Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU).
