ABVP Sweeps Kerala College Union, Ends SFI’s Four-Decade Hold in Tripunithura

ABVP has taken control of the Government Sanskrit College Union in Tripunithura after its candidates secured all 12 general seats in the college union election. The result marks a major change at an institution where SFI had maintained influence for decades. According to reports, ABVP had already secured a majority of seats in the previous year’s election before completing the sweep this year.

The latest election result was also notable because ABVP secured all 12 posts uncontested after no other student organisation filed nominations. Reports described the college as a long-standing SFI stronghold, with the Left-backed student organisation having controlled the campus union for around four decades.

The victory came amid a wider political change in Tripunithura. In the 2025 local body elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single-largest party in the 53-member Tripunithura Municipality with 21 seats, compared with 20 held by the Left Democratic Front and 12 by the United Democratic Front. The BJP subsequently secured the municipality’s chairperson and vice-chairperson posts, marking the first time it led the Tripunithura municipality.

The college election result follows ABVP’s recent performance in the Delhi University Students’ Union election. In the DUSU elections, held on September 18, ABVP won three of the four central panel positions. ABVP’s Yash Dabas won the president’s post, while the organisation also secured the secretary and joint secretary positions. Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen won the vice-president’s post.

Yash Dabas defeated NSUI candidate Vijay Shankar Meena in the presidential contest. Dabas received 24,576 votes, while Meena polled 22,523 votes. Deepanshu Shokeen won the vice-president’s post with 30,615 votes.

The Tripunithura result now places ABVP’s recent student-union electoral performance in Delhi and Kerala in focus. While the two elections took place at different institutions and under different electoral settings, the Government Sanskrit College result represents a complete sweep of the college’s 12 general seats after decades of SFI influence.