To union elections, JNU asks students' outfits to give names to conduct GBM

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday, 5 January asked students' organisations to give the names of those who will be authorised to conduct the General Body Meeting (GBM), a crucial step before union elections are held at the university.

Unlike the previous polls in 2019, the Dean of Students (DoS) Office this time has issued a notice asking representatives of the organisations to unanimously decide the names for the GBM.

Earlier, students used to consensually decide among themselves on who all will hold the GBM. The JNU Students' Union used to hold the meeting at the university level to elect the election commissioner.

As the administration did not notify the JNUSU in 2019, the DoS in its absence has asked students' outfits to give names for conducting the GBM.

The DoS held a meeting with representatives of about 16 students organisations on Monday to start the process of the students' union elections 2023-24, according to a notification.

In the meeting, it was decided that students will unanimously choose the members of the GBM, the notification said.

The meeting was boycotted by ABVP's JNU outfit which objected to the DoS' role in holding the JNUSU elections.

"We believe the JNU elections should be totally student-centric and conducted by the election commission comprising students. Why is the DoS' office unnecessary being involved in the JNU elections?" the students outfit said in a statement.

The GBM is a crucial step wherein students select the members of the commission which will later declare the JNUSU results.

JNU will hold the students' union elections after a hiatus of four years.