The headline was striking: the ABVP had swept the students’ union at a Sanskrit college in Kerala, ending years of SFI dominance. But behind the apparent electoral upset at Government Sanskrit College in Tripunithura lies an unusual story: there was no electoral contest this year.
What Happened At Tripunithura?
ABVP state secretary Yedhu Krishnan also confirmed to NDTV that no other political student organisation filed nominations at Government Sanskrit College this year. Neither the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) nor the Congress-affiliated Kerala Students Union (KSU) fielded candidates. Government Sanskrit College is no sprawling Kerala campus. But the shift towards ABVP did not begin this year. This year, the situation was different. “When nominations were invited, only these students submitted nominations. But the declaration has not happened yet. The principal also pointed to the peculiar demographics of a specialised college with such a small student population. Eligibility requirements for different posts, including the year in which a student is studying, can further restrict the pool of potential candidates. ABVP, however, disputes suggestions that its presence is restricted to this small campus. SFI state secretary PS Sanjeev offered a different assessment. He acknowledged, however, that ABVP has miniscule relevance in colleges in Kannur and Kasaragod. SFI points to the recently concluded Kerala University college union elections to support its argument. The figures represent SFI’s own tally of the results.
Because of the very small number of students studying there, speaking to NDTV, Sanjeev said SFI had not paid significant organisational attention to Government Sanskrit College. Because of its specialised character and the limited number of seats available, dr Maheswaran said the institution has historically remained small. Candidates belonging to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) were the only ones to file nominations for all 12 positions in the college union. It is a specialised institution with only around 130 students, Principal Dr Saritha Maheswaran told NDTV. The college has traditionally had a limited intake, with its student population generally remaining below 200 as prescribed by the mandate of MG University For a considerable period, SFI had a dominant presence on the campus. Of the 12 positions, ABVP won 10 while SFI candidates secured two class representative posts. “This time all 12 have gone to ABVP. It won 29 of 31 unions in Thiruvananthapuram, 12 of 18 in Kollam, all 18 in Alappuzha and three of four in Pathanamthitta, according to the district-wise figures provided by SFI. Those figures add up to 62 of the 71 college unions.
“SFI students were there for a long time,” Dr Maheswaran told NDTV, while stressing that the administration does not involve itself in the political activities of students. Last year’s college union election was actually contested, according to the principal. Nobody else filed nominations,” Dr Maheswaran told NDTV. It will be only on the 29th,” she said. Mr Krishnan said the organisation expects similar gains in two colleges in Kannur district, arguing that ABVP is expanding its presence on campuses in the state. Beyond those areas, Sanjeev argued, ABVP has not been able to make significant inroads into Kerala’s wider college union landscape, which he said remains largely dominated by SFI. In some years, requests have been made to the university for additional seats and increases have been permitted for those particular years, she said.
The political attention surrounding the union has also brought another aspect of Government Sanskrit College into focus: the contrast between the institution’s extraordinary history and its size today. The college’s own historical records say it was established at a time when traditional Sanskrit education was weakening with the expansion of the modern education system. Advanced instruction was initially offered in Vyakarana, Nyaya and Vedanta. Over the decades, the institution developed specialised departments in branches including Jyothisha, Nyaya, Sahitya, Vedanta and Vyakarana. The college also houses a manuscript library containing rare material. Its own records say the collection has been used by scholars from India and abroad and that several books have emerged from work on manuscripts preserved there. Government Sanskrit College remains affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, but despite more than a century of history, its student population continues to be smaller than that of most conventional arts and science colleges.
The numbers from the college show that ABVP’s gains there preceded this year’s uncontested outcome: it had already won 10 of the 12 posts in last year’s contested election. The college was established on January 14, 1914, by Sri Rama Varma, the Erstwhile King of Cochin, for the preservation and advancement of higher Sanskrit learning. Ayurveda and Jyothisha were subsequently introduced in 1926. Yet, 112 years after its establishment, the college has only around 130 students, according to its principal.
The organisation has projected the Tripunithura development as a significant political breakthrough at a college which had previously seen a strong SFI presence.
The Kerala University election and the upcoming Mahatma Gandhi University election, however, involve separate sets of colleges, making a direct comparison with the Tripunithura result difficult. For years, SFI had a strong presence at the college. Neither organisation filed nominations. ABVP argues that the development is part of its growing campus presence and points to expected gains elsewhere. SFI maintains that Tripunithura cannot be treated as representative of the wider student political landscape.
The Tripunithura episode, therefore, has more than one layer. With the deadline for nominations having ended on September 17, ABVP has secured all 12 positions unopposed. The formal declaration, however, will come only on September 29, when college union elections under Mahatma Gandhi University are scheduled. Then, in a contested election last year, ABVP won 10 of the 12 positions. This year, it is set to take all 12.
The college is affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University and its union elections are conducted according to rules laid down by the university.
But unlike last year, ABVP did not defeat SFI or KSU candidates at the ballot box.
