Kanhaiya Kumar is a former President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union. He is also a leader of the All India Students Federation (AISF), a left wing students organization which is considered to be close to the Communist Party of India (CPI). He received his Doctorate Degree (Ph.D) in February 2019. While at the College of Commerce, he began his involvement in student politics. In 2015 September, Kanhaiya Kumar became the first AISF member to become president of the JNU students' union, defeating the AISA (All India Students Association), ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad), SFI (Students' Federation of India) and NSUI (National Students' Union of India) candidates. On 29 April 2018, he was elected to the 125-member party national council of the Communist Party of India (CPI).