After a nearly 2-month delay, the counting of votes for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections commenced on Monday at the university’s North Campus.
The results, initially scheduled for September 28, were postponed due to a Delhi High Court directive mandating the university to address campaign-related defacement before announcing the winners.
This year’s elections have witnessed intense competition, with 21 candidates contesting for the four central panel posts. These include eight candidates for president, five for vice-president, and four each for secretary and joint secretary.
The presidential race is primarily contested by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), aligned with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS); the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI); and a coalition of Left-wing groups, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI).
Key contenders for the vice-president position are ABVP’s Bhanu Pratap Singh, NSUI’s Yash Nandal, and AISA’s Ayush Mondal. For the secretary post, ABVP’s Mitravinda Karanwal is up against NSUI’s Namrata Jeph Meena and SFI’s Anamika K. Meanwhile, the joint secretary race features ABVP’s Aman Kapasia, NSUI’s Lokesh Choudhary, and SFI’s Sneha Aggarwal.
Currently, the ABVP holds three of the four central panel positions, with NSUI occupying the vice-president’s seat. The outcome of these elections is expected to influence the political landscape of Delhi University, reflecting the ideological tug-of-war among the prominent student organizations.
The elections highlight not just student leadership contests but also serve as a microcosm of broader political alignments in the country, with each faction representing distinct ideological leanings.
The results will determine whether the ABVP retains its dominance or if NSUI and the Left-backed coalition can make inroads in the university’s political scene.
