Now Reading: Gen Z protests fuel campus membership drives, clashes erupt in Mumbai and Pune
-
01
Gen Z protests fuel campus membership drives, clashes erupt in Mumbai and Pune
Gen Z protests fuel campus membership drives, clashes erupt in Mumbai and Pune
Campus politics in Maharashtra has turned heated as student wings of political parties ramp up membership drives after nationwide Gen Z protests. At Vile Parle's Sathaye College, a clash broke out last…
Campus politics in Maharashtra has turned heated as student wings of political parties ramp up membership drives after nationwide Gen Z protests. At Vile Parle's Sathaye College, a clash broke out last week between the Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS) and Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) over stall locations. On Friday night, ABVP and the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) clashed at COEP Technological University in Pune ahead of a Congress event.
The MNVS, reviving its drive after three to four years, is reaching out to colleges in every assembly constituency, said its leader Santosh Gangurde. The RSS-affiliated ABVP said it aims to double its numbers this year and has registered over 2 lakh members in recent weeks. Yuva Sena plans to begin its drive after Ganpati. College principals said they are unable to act against stalls set up outside campus, and one called police after students alleged they were forced to sign up, but the police confirmed the organisation had civic permission.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Student wings of political parties have long treated college campuses as recruitment grounds ahead of local and state elections, but the scale of this year's drives reflects a shift. The Gen Z protests over issues like the NEET paper leak and the Agniveer scheme have created a pool of politically alert 18-to-24-year-olds that parties are eager to claim. For the MNVS, founded in 2008 by Raj Thackeray's MNS, this is its first major campus push in years, for the ABVP, doubling membership from a claimed 2 lakh in weeks is an ambitious target that, if met, would strengthen its hand in student council elections this academic year. The clashes at Sathaye and COEP show that turf wars are intensifying even as the organisations deny using pressure tactics.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
