Khalid Abdallah, a Sudanese national at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) got a taste of the democratic values of India on Sunday.
Khalid wants to restore democracy in his land with India as his model
NEW DELHI: Khalid Abdallah, a Sudanese national at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) got a taste of the democratic values of India on Sunday.
The 29-year-old student was elected to the office of the councillor of the School of International Studies (SIS) at JNU on an All India Students Association (AISA) ticket.
He is the first African student to win an election in the history of JNU.
The Left-affiliated AISA grabbed all the top posts in the students' union elections of the elite varsity on Sunday.
Its candidates Sandeep Singh and Sephalika were elected as the president and vice president of the JNU students' union.
The university went to polls on Friday with 5,500 students eligible to cast vote. The election saw a massive 68% voting turnout.
Though the post that Abdallah has won is not as high profile as those of the president or vice president, he is still very happy.
Abdallah, who is pursuing an MPhil in international relations from the university's School of International Studies, believes that his victory is "a positive step towards learning the democratic electoral process."
Depressed over the political situation in his country, Abdallah said, "for the last 18 years people in Sudan have not enjoyed real democracy.”
He added, “Sudan needs efficient people to restore democracy and that is why I am in India. I want democracy to be restored in my country. I would like to use my experience in India and educate my people about it."
Abdallah has been in India for over a decade now, pursuing various academic courses. He has studied at the Pune University and the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala prior to joining JNU.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}