Left Sweeps MG University Elections; SFI’s Women Candidates Make History at Maharaja’s College

The Students' Federation of India (SFI) has swept the Students Union elections in the colleges of Mahatma Gandhi (MG) University in Kerala.

Out of the 132 colleges where elections were held on Tuesday for the academic year 2017-18, SFI won the Union leadership in 127 colleges.

One of the most keenly awaited poll results was from Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, where SFI had fielded seven women among the 14 candidates in total. SFI candidate Mridula Gopi AG made history by winning the top post - Union Chairperson - by a margin of 121 votes, thereby becoming the first woman Chairperson of Maharaja’s College ever since elections began on organisational basis in 1973. SFI won 13 out of 14 seats in the Union, including all major posts. Six out of the seven women candidates of SFI were elected to the Union.

Mridula is the second woman Chairperson in the entire history of Maharaja’s College, established in 1875. Aniyathi Menon, who was elected as Chairperson in 1948-49, was the first woman Chairperson of the Maharaja’s College Union.

Image Courtesy: SFI Maharajas

SFI captured the Union leadership at NSS College, Konni from the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for the first time history. It won the Union at St. Berchman’s College, Changanassery defeating the incumbents, the Kerala Students Union (KSU).

The Union at St. Joseph’s College, Moolamattom, which was continuously led by KSU for eight years, was won by SFI this year.

The MG University, headquartered in Kottayam, has more than 250 affiliated colleges, including government colleges, government-aided private colleges and unaided private colleges.

SFI won the Union leadership in Al Ameen College, Edathala (Ernakulam), defeating the KSU-MSF (Muslim Students’ Federation) alliance after a period of nine years, and won all the seats in Union Christian (UC) College, Aluva. KSU had won the elections in UC College last year.

SFI candidates won without opposition in 40 colleges including CMS College, Kottayam, Government College, Nattakom, RLV College, Trippunithura and MG University Campus, Kottayam. SFI won 77 out of the 86 University Union Councillor seats in the MG University Students Union.

SFI Kerala State Secretary M Vijin said that the organisation had gone to the polls putting forward the slogan “To resist communalism, to strengthen secularism, let us build colleges energised by struggles”.

In the Universities in Kerala with affiliated colleges, Students Union elections are held for the Unions of the respective colleges as well as for the University Students Unions. While voting for the college Union elections, students also vote for candidates to the posts of University Union Councillors (UUCs). All the UUCs of a University together constitute the University Union.

Earlier this month, SFI had won the Students Union elections in a majority of colleges affiliated to Calicut University and the elections to the Kannur University Students Union.

Image Courtesy: SFI Maharajas

In Calicut University, SFI won the Union leadership in 124 colleges out of a total of 170 colleges where elections were held. Particularly notable was the SFI victory in WMO College, Wayanad, where the Union was led by the MSF for 24 years. SFI won elections in several colleges in Malappuram district which used to be MSF or KSU-MSF strongholds, such as the Panakkad Mohamedali Shihab Thangal College, Tanur and Amal College, Nilambur.

SFI won all the posts in the Kannur University Students Union, with 83 out of 104 votes cast by University Union Councillors elected from various colleges.

Kerala has been a State with a vibrant students movement in colleges and many of the schools, and is one of the few States where Students Union elections are held regularly.

On the other hand, West Bengal, another State known for a powerful students’ movement, witnessed the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government clamping down on Students Unions elections in June this year.

As per the new rules issued by the TMC government, the Students Unions shall be renamed as Students Councils, and students who are candidates in the Students Council elections shall be barred from contesting under the banner of political organisations. Elections are to be held every two years instead of every year, and the Students Councils will have teachers as President and Vice-President - both to be nominated by the college authorities. The treasurer of the Council will be a teacher, and elected student representatives will have no say in financial matters.

Activists point out that the rules promulgated by the Mamata Banerjee government are intended to make Students Unions toothless bodies which are mere lackeys of the college authorities.