Finalising the candidate well in advance, consolidating Haryana students’ votes and stitching a strategic alliance with the Student Organisation of India, which has a strong Punjab connect, helped the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) beat anti-incumbency and buck its rivals’ targeted campaign to emerge victorious.
Not only did it win for the second consecutive time, it bettered its performance. As the only candidate hailing from Haryana, facing three Punjabi faces, Bidhan had a strategic advantage when it came to the support of students from Haryana who have the second-highest presence on campus after Punjab. ABVP forged an alliance with the SOI, the student wing of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and the Himalayan Students Association (HIMSA) which sealed the deal for it While his rivals’ votes were already divided. “The alliance was kept hidden from opponents till the last day to avoid any kind of damage.
this time’s winner, Ankit Bidhan won by a margin of 512 votes While last year’s ABVP candidate Gauravveer Sohal had won the president’s post by a margin of 488 votes. The SOI leaders had been active on campus for the past several months due to which they had gained the voters’ trust.
That, combined with the HIMSA’s support helped us,” said Puri, a former president of the party’s PU unit.
