Mumbai: 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 the setting up of stalls for registering new members at the same location. In yet another instance, on Friday night, members of the ABVP and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) clashed at COEP Technological University’s campus hostel in Pune ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s programme ‘Chhatron Ki Gunj’, leading to a political slugfest.Campuses in the state are buzzing with registration drives organised by students’ organisations affiliated to political parties even as they are stepping up efforts to tap into the growing political interest among the youth after the nationwide wave of Gen Z protests. Organisations are aiming to expand their reach, and in the process, jostling with each other for greater visibility on campuses. While some students are signing up voluntarily, others have alleged that they were pressured to share their phone numbers for registration.MNVS, which is carrying out a drive after three to four years, plans to reach out to most colleges in the city and state. The organisation’s president, Amit Thackeray, is covering a college in every assembly constituency in the state, said Santosh Gangurde from the organisation. “We are not only interacting with students, but also helping in resolving their issues with the administration on the spot,” said Gangurde. The organisation’s membership drive had been planned for this month in view of its foundation day on Aug 1, and that its timing coinciding with the Gen Z movement was coincidental, he said. MNVS was formed in 2008.RSS-affiliated ABVP holds a drive every year, but this year it aims to double its numbers, said Mumbai secretary Abhishek Pawar. In the last few weeks, the organisation claimed to have registered over 2 lakh. On its social media handle, the organisation has posted claims of having nearly 1,000 to 2,000 members at leading city colleges. Pawar said they have conducted membership drives at 26 colleges in the city so far. Responding to allegations that pressure was being used to enrol students, Pawar said colleges generally do not welcome student organisations as they often raise issues concerning students against authorities. These drives will be followed by separate drives seeking grievances and then resolving them, he said.Pradeep Sawant from Yuva Sena said they already have a strong network in colleges and they have been taking up issues regularly. “Our membership drive will kick off post Ganpati,” he said. Yuva Sena has the highest number of elected members in the graduate constituency of Mumbai University.For college principals this is an additional concern, but they are unable to take any action as these stalls are set up outside the campus. A principal said that after receiving complaints from students who alleged they were being forced to register with an organisation, the college had to call the police. However, the police said the organisation had the necessary permission from the civic authorities, he added.Political science professor from Mumbai University Mrudul Nile said a lot of political parties are reaching out to students after the nationwide protests. Earlier, these students, between the ages of 18 and 24, were seen as mere vote banks, but the nature of their engagement is changing, and so is their thought process, he said.“They are thinking more in a postmodern way, and no matter what political parties do, if their aspirations are not fulfilled, they will not remain permanent supporters. These youngsters will not take anything at face value. They believe only what they are able to see or understand and do not believe in narratives. Political parties have also realised this and have started seeing them as more than just a vote bank and have started engaging with them. But engagement alone may not be enough; the youngsters need a solid programme and they will support whoever offers them a workable programme at the moment,” said Nile.
