ABVP wins 3 of 4 DUSU posts

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) retained its hold over the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), winning three of the four central panel posts on Saturday, but the election also proved that independents can hold sway, as one candidate not affiliated with any student organisation made it to the panel after 17 years

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) retained its hold over the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), winning three of the four central panel posts on Saturday, but the election also proved that independents can hold sway, as one candidate not affiliated with any student organisation made it to the panel after 17 years.

The results are also significant because it is for the first time since 2015 that the NSUI will not hold a central post in the DUSU. (Ishant Chauhan/HT)

ABVP’s Yash Dabas defeated NSUI’s Vijay Shankar Meena for the president’s post, polling 24,576 votes against Meena’s 22,523. Riya Chhawdi, also of the ABVP, won the secretary’s post with 21,650 votes, while Lakshay Raj Singh secured the joint-secretary position with 16,615 votes. The vice-president post went to Deepanshu Shokeen, a former National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) member, who also secured the highest vote tally, of 30,615, among the four.

After the results were confirmed, following 20 rounds of counting with a close contest for multiple posts, Dabas said, “Delhi University’s GenZ has given a clear message that it believes in social harmony and nationalism. I will work to transform this trust into responsibility and ensure that the voice of every student is represented strongly through the students’ union.”

Shokeen’s victory was markedly different as he defeated his closest contestant by a margin of over 13,000. Shokeen had originally sought an NSUI ticket but eventually contested independently, after being denied the nomination.

“The support that students have shown reflects that hard work is far more important than political affiliations. I will continue to work hard to fulfil the promises made in the manifesto—solid progress for on-campus accommodation will remain the foremost priority,” said Shokeen.

The results are also significant because it is for the first time since 2015 that the NSUI will not hold a central post in the DUSU.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hailed ABVP’s victory. “This clearly shows the politics of lies, deceit and propaganda that Rahul Gandhi has been pursuing for a long time has been rejected by DU students today. The DUSU polls were like a litmus test, and Rahul Gandhi has failed that litmus test,” said Sidharth Yadav, BJP’s national media co-convenor.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta posted on X: “Heartiest congratulations to all young comrades on the splendid victory of #ABVP in the Delhi University Students’ Union elections. The wins of Yash Dabas for the President’s post, Riya Chhabra for the Secretary’s post, and Lakshya Raj Singh for the Joint Secretary’s post represent a triumph of youth faith in the values of ‘Knowledge, Character, and Unity’ as well as ‘Nation First’.”

However, the Congress-affiliated NSUI alleged that the results were “rigged” and hit out at the BJP for fielding “Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a campaigner for the ABVP”.

NSUI National President Shri Vinod Jakhar said, “We lost by a narrow margin of votes, but NSUI will fulfil the promises made to students with great determination. When the Prime Minister becomes a star campaigner in a university election, nothing is left of a fair democratic contest. If it had been a contest solely against the ABVP, we would have won; our fight was against the entire administration, the ruling power and the Prime Minister of the country.”

The independent victory, meanwhile, points to the importance of student-specific issues, as Shokeen had made student accommodation—against the backdrop of DU student deaths at Satya Niketan—a key campaign plank. Dabas said during his campaign that a safety audit of college hostels and PG accommodations would be among his first priorities, while Shokeen said he would seek justice for those killed in the collapse.

Another issue that shaped the political conversation on campus was the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest movement. The agitation, which drew students and several smaller student organisations, focused on paper leaks, examination reforms, unemployment, admissions and institutional accountability.

Tanvir Aeijaz, a professor of political science at Ramjas College, said Shokeen’s win reflects that if you make a good candidate contest, students need not look for party affiliation. “Smaller formations did not make a breakthrough in the central panel, but Shokeen’s emphatic independent victory shows that a candidate associated with student-led issues could attract a substantial vote without an established organisation,” Aeijaz said.

To be sure, the polling turnout was only 40.46%.

Vallabh Singh, a first-year student at Hansraj College, said the results took many by surprise. “It has been two months since I joined the university and since the beginning, political space has largely been dominated by parties like NSUI and ABVP. Shokeen’s win is unexpected and is a win for democracy,” said Singh, who hails from Uttar Pradesh.

Throughout the counting, tight security arrangements remained around the university.