The Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections saw the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) secure three of the four central panel posts, while the AISA-SFI panel secured a substantial vote share and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) recorded victories in several college-level elections across the university.

ABVP’s Yash Dabas was elected DUSU president with 24,576 votes, defeating NSUI’s Vijay Shankar Meena, who polled 22,523 votes. ABVP’s Riya Chhawdi won the secretary’s post with 21,650 votes, while Lakshya won the joint secretary’s post with 16,615 votes. Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen won the vice-president’s post with 30,615 votes.

The results were declared after 20 rounds of counting. Before the results were announced, officials urged the winning candidates and their supporters not to take out victory rallies on campus or outside, in accordance with High Court orders.

At the end of the 11th round, the presidential contest had remained closely fought, with NSUI’s Meena leading Dabas by 338 votes. Shokeen, meanwhile, had established a substantial lead in the vice-presidential contest.

The elections recorded a voter turnout of 40.46 per cent and were held against the backdrop of recent student protests over alleged paper leaks. Student welfare, campus facilities, hostel accommodation and safety were among the major issues raised during the campaign, particularly after the collapse of a PG building in Satya Niketan earlier this month in which seven people were killed.

After his election, Dabas said his first task would be to conduct a safety audit of college hostels and paying guest accommodations. He also said, “This victory belongs to social harmony, patriotism and unity.”

The AISA-SFI panel fielded candidates for all four central posts. AISA’s Ananya Raturi secured 5,377 votes in the presidential contest, while Akshat Shikhar received 2,383 votes for vice-president. SFI’s Stanzin Deskyong polled 8,734 votes for secretary and B. Parijaat secured 5,837 votes for joint secretary.

The SFI said in a statement that its candidates had received significant support in the central panel contest while also recording victories in several college student union elections. 

“Com. Stanzin Deskyong from SFI received nearly 9K votes for Secretary while Com. B Parijat received nearly 6K votes for Joint Secretary challenging the established money-muscle politics of ABVP-NSUI,” the student’s body said.

At Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences (BCAS), SFI state committee member Archi Biswas won the president’s post, defeating the ABVP candidate. According to SFI, it was the organisation’s first victory at BCAS after ABVP had won the post for several consecutive years.

At Zakir Husain Delhi College (Morning), SFI candidate Jitender won the joint secretary’s post, while SFI member Aadyashree was elected central councillor at Miranda House. SFI-backed candidates also recorded victories at Delhi University’s South Campus, Delhi School of Social Work and Janki Devi Memorial College.

The student's union also reported strong performances at Hansraj College, where its candidate secured around 1,100 votes, as well as at BR Ambedkar College, Zakir Husain Delhi College (Evening), Law Centre-1 and Ayurveda and Unani Tibbia College.
SFI said its electoral campaign focused on issues concerning education, student welfare and democratic participation. 

“The electoral battles across Delhi University have demonstrated that student politics remains a space for raising questions that directly affect the everyday lives of students, from the cost of education and accommodation to safety, accessibility and democratic participation,” it said.

The SFI said it would continue to campaign for inclusive education, adequate and affordable hostel accommodation, concessional metro passes for students and an end to fee hikes.