JNUSU polls: Who is Aditi Mishra, JNU’s first woman president since 2019?

The Left Unity panel swept all four central posts in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections for 2025-26. Aditi Mishra from the All India Students’ Association (AISA) became the university’s first woman president since Aishe Ghosh in 2019.

The results mark a comeback for the Left, which had lost one post to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the delayed 2024-25 polls held earlier in April.

Mishra, a PhD scholar from the Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory, secured 1,937 votes, defeating ABVP’s Vikas Patel, who got 1,488 votes, a margin of 449 votes, up from 272 in April. Progressive Students’ Association (PSA) candidate Shinde Vijayalaxmi Vyankat Rao impressed many with her fiery speeches and managed 1,276 votes, while the NSUI candidate trailed with 419.

Aditi Mishra’s journey from BHU to JNU

Aditi Mishra, originally from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, studied in Bihar and later graduated in Economics from Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Her involvement in student activism began in 2017, when she joined protests at BHU against what she called “undemocratic and patriarchal” hostel curfews for women.

She later joined Pondicherry University in 2018, where she became a prominent voice against the alleged “saffronisation” of the campus.

Mishra led demonstrations, including a gherao of the Vice Chancellor’s office, after banners quoting Hindutva ideologues were installed around the university.

Her strong background in student activism and vocal stance on gender and campus rights helped her gain visibility and support in JNU.

Big margins for other left candidates

The Left’s dominance was clear across all major posts. K Gopika Babu of the SFI won the vice-president’s post with 3,101 votes, defeating ABVP’s Tanya Kumari (1,787) by a massive 1,314-vote margin, the highest in this election.

For general secretary, Sunil Yadav from DSF won with 2,005 votes, defeating ABVP’s Rajeshwar Kant Dubey (1,901). The joint secretary’s seat also went to the Left, with Danish Ali winning 2,083 votes against ABVP’s Anuj Damra (1,797).

This year's election saw 20 candidates in the fray for the four central panel posts, including six-woman candidates.