The ABVP, founded in 1948 under the leadership of RSS activist Balraj Madhok, was officially registered on July 9, 1949. It was established with the primary objective of countering communist influences on university campuses. Yashwant Rao Kelkar, a lecturer in Bombay, played a crucial role in organizing and shaping the organization into what it is today, earning him the title of 'the real architec
t of the ABVP'. Over the years, various branches of ABVP have been involved in Hindu-Muslim communal riots since 1961. However, in the 1970s, ABVP started addressing issues concerning the lower middle classes, such as corruption and government inertia, which were also being taken up by communist student groups. ABVP played a significant role in the agitational politics during the JP Movement in the 1970s, leading to collaboration among student activists in Gujarat and Bihar. The organization witnessed a surge in membership and influence after the Emergency period, experiencing substantial growth. By 1974, ABVP boasted 160,000 members across 790 campuses and had gained control over several prominent universities, including the University of Delhi through student elections. By 1983, the organization had expanded to 250,000 members and 1,100 branches. ABVP continued to grow in the 1990s, gaining support following the Babri Masjid demolition and the economic liberalization pursued by the P. Its membership tripled to 3.175 million members by 2016, making it India's largest student organization. The ABVP engages in various activities aligned with its manifesto, including agendas such as educational and university reforms. It actively participates in student-body elections in colleges and universities. Students for Development (SFD) is an ABVP initiative that promotes a holistic and sustainable development perspective among students. The official ABVP magazine, Rashtriya Chhatrashakti, is published monthly in Hindi from New Delhi. One of ABVP's notable initiatives is "Mission Sahasi," a self-defense training program for girls conducted throughout the year at various educational campuses across the country.
