The election results revealed a dramatic shift in student political preferences, with ABVP's Siva Palepu securing the presidency with 1,541 votes (44.22%), decisively defeating the SFI-led coalition candidate Ananya Dash, who garnered 1,371 votes (39.34%).
Published Sep 21, 2025 | 11:59 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 21, 2025 | 11:59 AM
Students belonging to the ABVP celebrating their victory.
Synopsis: The election’s outcome can be attributed to multiple factors, chief among them being the fracturing of the previously dominant SFI-Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA) alliance that had consistently controlled HCU politics. This split resulted in divided opposition votes across multiple panels, creating a clear path for ABVP’s coordinated campaign against fragmented competitors.
In a stunning political comeback, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has swept the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) Student Union elections, marking its first victory since 2018-19 and ending six years of dominance by the Left-Dalit alliance.
The comprehensive victory saw ABVP candidates winning all six key positions, capitalising on a fractured opposition and mounting anti-incumbency sentiment against the outgoing student union.
The election’s outcome can be attributed to multiple factors, chief among them being the fracturing of the previously dominant SFI-Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA) alliance that had consistently controlled HCU politics. This split resulted in divided opposition votes across multiple panels, creating a clear path for ABVP’s coordinated campaign against fragmented competitors.
Anti-incumbency against the outgoing student union played a crucial role in tilting the electoral balance toward ABVP. Sravan B Raj, National Secretary of ABVP, emphasised this sentiment, told South First that “The student community has accepted that only nationalist organizations have space in HCU. They are fed up with the communal and divisive politics of SFI and ASA, who have utterly failed to address common student issues.”
ABVP’s campaign focused heavily on governance failures and institutional decline under previous leadership. Raj highlighted specific issues. “In 2018, HCU was ranked 4th, but now it has slipped to 26th. The students’ union has failed to raise its voice for quality education on this campus. Food at the mess has deteriorated, hostel facilities have worsened, infrastructure is falling short, and academic affairs are being run largely by guest faculty.”
The organisation also capitalised on its activism during critical campus events, particularly the land movement controversy. “When students were marching towards the East Campus and the police resorted to lathi charges, the student union leaders ran away. It was only ABVP that stood its ground, took the beating, and fought for the protection of this land alongside the student community,” Raj explained.
The election results revealed a dramatic shift in student political preferences, with ABVP’s Siva Palepu securing the presidency with 1,541 votes (44.22%), decisively defeating the SFI-led coalition candidate Ananya Dash, who garnered 1,371 votes (39.34%).
The presidential race became a two-horse contest, with both leading candidates capturing over 83% of valid votes, while the remaining six candidates, including Mohd Umar from the ASA-led coalition, secured 16.90%.
ABVP’s dominance was most pronounced in the Cultural Secretary position, where Venus achieved a landslide victory with 2,099 votes (61.29%) – the highest percentage win across all positions. This overwhelming mandate saw Venus receiving more votes than all other candidates combined, with SFI’s Thorti Sharath trailing significantly with 952 votes (27.80%) and ASA’s Ashitha PH securing 785 votes (22.92%).
The Vice Presidential race witnessed Debendra delivering the most commanding individual performance, securing 1,773 votes (49.02%), nearly achieving an absolute majority. SFI coalition’s Diwakar provided substantial competition with 1,170 votes (32.35%), while ASA coalition’s Sidhant from AISA garnered 781 votes (21.59%). This position demonstrated the clearest winner margin across all contested seats.
In what emerged as the most competitive race, ABVP’s Shruti Priya narrowly triumphed with 1,667 votes (52.65%) to grab the General Secretary position. The contest highlighted the fractured opposition, with the ASA coalition’s Mohammed Shadil from MSF securing 980 votes (30.96%) and the SFI coalition’s M Sasi Preetham obtaining 937 votes (29.60%) – separated by merely 43 votes. This tight race underscored how vote division among opposition groups facilitated ABVP’s victory.
The Joint Secretary position saw Saurabh Shukla dominating with 1,612 votes (48.55%), creating a significant 490-vote gap over the SFI coalition’s Mood Naveen Kumar, who secured 1,122 votes (33.78%). ASA coalition’s Abdus Salam finished third with 741 votes (22.31%), establishing a clear hierarchical preference among voters.
The Sports Secretary contest, which attracted the highest participation with 4,445 total votes cast, saw ABVP’s Jwala emerge victorious with 1,657 votes (47.74%). SFI coalition’s Altaf provided strong competition with 1,187 votes (34.20%), while NSUI candidates Swati and ASA coalition Kaviri Ramesh received 717 and 626 votes, respectively, indicating meaningful four-way participation that reflected greater student interest in sports representation.
This electoral victory represents a significant ideological shift at HCU, traditionally known for its left-leaning student politics and association with movements like those associated with Rohith Vemula.
Beyond major positions, ABVP secured majority control by winning councilor and board member positions at the school level, highlighting comprehensive student support across the university’s academic structure. The election maintained high integrity standards, with invalid vote rates consistently low across all positions, ranging from 1.58% to 3.19%.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
