ABVP rebel wins DUSU poll, party claims credit

An independent candidate won Delhi University’s Student Union (DUSU) elections after a gap of almost two decades, on Saturday. SEE GRAPICS

An independent candidate won Delhi University’s Student Union (DUSU) elections after a gap of almost two decades, on Saturday. But the moment of individual glory was soon overshadowed by party might, as Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) took credit for the candidate’s victory.

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The posts of vice-president, secretary and joint secretary were won by candidates of ABVP (Kriti Wadhera), NSUI (Arshdeep Kaur) and Chhattra Sabha (Anupriya Tyagi), respectively.

Joy over the victory was tempered, however, by the university’s electoral office deeming the results provisional, pending an enquiry against the three winners for violation of the electoral code of conduct.

If the winners are found guilty, “DUSU this year would be run by just the joint secretary,” said Chief Election Officer Gurmeet Singh.

However, the ABVP tactic of claiming credit for the win of Manoj Choudhury (president) and Anupriya Tyagi (joint secretary) did take the attention away from the “provisional” footnote to the verdict.

Choudhury, from the Department of Buddhist Studies, won the post with a margin of just 11 votes. He

had earlier rebelled against ABVP and decided to go solo when the group refused to back him as the presidential candidate.

“ABVP’s strategy reeks of political opportunism,” said Anand Pandey, national general secretary, NSUI, which did not celebrate Kaur’s victory as their group is mourning Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy’s recent death.

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