After Delhi, ABVP wins Hyderabad university polls, breaks seven-year jinx

With over 81% polling, ABVP's victory at UoH reflects strong support for their agenda and a shift in student politics.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has won all seats in the University of Hyderabad UoH) student union elections, registering a victory after a gap of seven years.

According to UoH, also known as Hyderabad Central University (HCU), 169 candidates contested the elections, with over 81 per cent polling recorded.(RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

In the elections held on September 19, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and part of the same family of outfits as the BJP, the ABVP defeated a Left-backed alliance.

It won all six posts — president, vice-president, general secretary, joint secretary, cultural secretary and sports secretary — at UoH, also referred to as HCU or Hyderabad central university.

The last time the right-aligned party had such a sweeping win was during the 2018-19 elections, with the ABVP, Other Backward Classes Federation (OBCF) and Sevalal Vidyarthi Dal (SLVD) alliance securing all six of the posts, read a report by The Siasat Daily.

Union coal and mines minister G Kishan Reddy, union minister of state for home Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Sunday congratulated ABVP, which news agency PTI reported.

“Gen Z of UoH is with ABVP. From president to sports secretary, every key position has been secured. This clean sweep reflects the trust Gen Z at UoH has placed in nationalist ideology. From Punjab to DU to UoH, campus after campus, the saffron wave is turning momentum into mandate,” Sanjay Kumar wrote on X(formerly Twitter) as he congratulated the candidates.

The ABVP Greater Hyderabad unit said the victory signified students’ commitment to nationalism and their united stand against "divisive politics".

“ABVP’s relentless efforts in promoting campus peace, protecting HCU lands, and addressing student concerns through movements have earned widespread support, making this a landmark moment in HCU’s history,” it added.

The winning candidates

PhD scholar Siva Palepu was elected president, while Debendra won the vice-president’s post.

Shruti Priya secured the general secretary’s post, Saurabh Shukla was elected joint secretary, Venus became cultural secretary, and Jwala was chosen as sports secretary.

Hyderabad’s Students’ Union Elections 2025

According to the university data, 169 candidates contested the elections, with over 81 per cent polling recorded.

Contestants were backed by groups including the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), ABVP, National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and others, as well as independent candidates.

ABVP's victory in DUSU and Panjab university student union elections

Earlier this month, ABVP also won the president’s post in Panjab University Campus Students' Council (PUCSC) elections for the first time since the varsity’s history, i.e fifty years.

ABVP candidate Gaurav Veer Sohal, who comes from Punjab, won by a significant margin of 488 votes, securing 3,148 votes against Sumit Sharma of Student Front, a local outfit, who secured 2,660 votes. There were a total of eight candidates in the fray for the top post, HT reported earlier.

In DUSU elections that were held last week, ABVP bagged three of the four posts that were up for contest and wresting the president post from the NSUI.

ABVP's Aryan Maan defeated his nearest rival, NSUI's Joslyn Nandita Choudhary, by a huge margin to clinch the DUSU president post.