Yuva Sena (UBT) Sweeps Mumbai University Senate Elections, Winning All 10 Seats

In a remarkable show of strength, the Yuva Sena (UBT), the youth wing of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction, achieved a clean sweep in the graduate constituency of Mumbai University’s senate elections, securing all 10 seats. The results, declared on Friday, reaffirm the Yuva Sena’s dominance in the senate, which they have held for over a decade, marking a significant defeat for the Bharatiya Janata Party-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

The elections, originally scheduled for August 2023, faced multiple hurdles, including political and legal disputes, before finally taking place on September 24. The counting of votes was conducted at the Cowasjee Jehangir Convocation Hall in Mumbai University’s Fort campus. With a voter turnout of approximately 55%, out of 7,200 votes cast, 6,684 were deemed valid. Candidates required a minimum of 1,114 votes to win in the open category.

At the counting center, Yuva Sena supporters celebrated their victory, chanting slogans in favor of their leaders and distributing sweets. The Yuva Sena not only won all five open-category seats in the Registered Graduates’ constituency but also claimed victory in all five reserved-category seats, which included candidates from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and women.

Pradeep Sawant, a Yuva Sena member and a third-time winner, attributed the success to the leadership of Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray and Varun Sardesai, secretary of the Yuva Sena. “Despite numerous efforts by the ruling party to obstruct us, we won all seats thanks to the support of the people,” Sawant stated, pledging that the Yuva Sena would focus on addressing student issues at Mumbai University in the future.

Aaditya Thackeray also congratulated the winning candidates and accused the ruling government of trying to interfere with the electoral process. “The fear of losing has led to the postponement of elections for municipal corporations and local self-governance bodies in the state. There were constant attempts by the [Eknath] Shinde government to delay the [senate] elections, but I thank the court for delivering justice. This is just the beginning. The Maha Vikas Aghadi will achieve similar victories in the upcoming elections,” Thackeray remarked.

The Bombay High Court had previously stayed a directive from Maharashtra’s higher and technical education department that sought to postpone the elections. This directive had raised concerns regarding a drastic decrease in voter numbers, plummeting from 62,000 in 2018 to just 13,000. The court allowed the education department to proceed with the formation of a committee to investigate the issue.

Sankalp Phaldesai, the ABVP’s Konkan region head, acknowledged their defeat, stating, “It was an election between political giants and the student union. We fought our best. There may have been some strategic faults, which we will surely introspect. Despite all malpractices during the elections, the winners have their names penned on the winning sheets. ABVP congratulates them and wishes them all the best. May they focus on solving the issues of the student fraternity rather than on political agendas.”