NSUI's defeat in student union polls unnerves Cong ahead of Raj Assembly polls

Archana Sharma

Jaipur, Aug 29 (IANS) The dismal performance of National Students Union of India (NSUI) in in the student union polls in Rajasthan has set alarm bells ringing for the grand-old party in the state ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls.

The student wing of the ruling Congress has suffered a crushing defeat across the state and lost in Gehlot's home region Jodhpur in Jaynarayan Vyas University and other colleges.

In the government college of Tonk, the constituency of Sachin Pilot, ABVP -- BJP's student wing -- won.

NSUI has lost badly in Shekhawati University and SK College in Sikar, the home district of Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasara.

In Jodhpur, Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot failed to create a magic as despite his campaigning, the NSUI candidate could not win the president's post in any major universities even when many Congress MLAs and ministers were active from behind the scenes.

NSUI State President Abhishek Chaudhary is also from Jodhpur district, but he too could not help in getting win.

Vishvendra Singh, Bhajanlal Jatav, Zahida and Subhash Garg are ministers from Bharatpur district where NSUI was defeated again. The ABVP won in Maharaja Surajmal University in Bharatpur, a district with four ministers and two board chairmen.

It also faced defeat in Kota University and Colleges in Kota, in the area of UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal who comes next in rank after the CM.

Mahendrajit Singh Malviya and Arjun Bamania are ministers from Banswara district. NSUI has lost there too. NSUI has lost Maharaja Ganga Singh University and Veterinary University in Bikaner district being ruled by Minister BD Kalla and Minister Bhanwar Singh Bhati.

NSUI has also suffered a crushing defeat in the tribal areas of Dungarpur and Banswara too. Dungarpur, in fact is the constituency of Youth Congress State President Ganesh Ghoghra.

While all other leaders maintained a stoic silence on the defeat, Congress MLA from Osian, Divya Maderna, came out in the open and that the main reason for the defeat of NSUI is not giving tickets to the deserving candidates. Also, there was a lot of delay in giving tickets and the focus was not on the strategy to win the elections. Internal factionalism also contributed to the loss, she said on her Twitter handle.

Meanwhile, other leaders are silently studying the trend and could be heard saying, "Youth voters are considered to be trendsetters in the Assembly elections. The defeat of the student organisation of the Congress in the areas of big leaders has shown the mindset of the youth for the party.

"Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has already announced that the focus would now be on the youth, so let's see if we gain some ground till the Assebmly elections", said a senior leader.