Chandigarh, Sept. 1 -- Finalising the candidate well in advance, consolidating Haryana students' votes and stitching a strategic alliance with the Student Organisation of India, which has a strong Punjab connect, helped the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) beat anti-incumbency and buck its rivals' targeted campaign to emerge victorious.

Not only did it win for the second consecutive time, it bettered its performance. While last year's ABVP candidate Gauravveer Sohal had won the president's post by a margin of 488 votes, this time's winner, Ankit Bidhan won by a margin of 512 votes.

Bidhan's campaign manager Rajat Puri said, "He was the only research scholar among the four contestants, has spent years helping students, and was t...