DUSU polls: ABVP secures three of four posts; NSUI wins one

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Friday (September 19) scored a decisive victory in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) polls, securing three of the four top posts. Aryan Maan won the contest for the president.

The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) prevented an ABVP clean sweep, with Rahul Jhansla clinching the vice-president’s post by garnering the highest number of votes for any candidate.

Ironically, Jhansla was with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-backed ABVP earlier and joined the Congress-affiliated NSUI last year with hundreds of his supporters.

The elections were held on Thursday (September 18) across all DU colleges, with the counting on Friday held under tight security. The ABVP snatched the president’s post from the NSUI, after Ronak Khatri won last year after a gap of seven years.

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'Vote chori' charges in DU polls

The elections took place amid allegations of ‘vote chori’ (ballot theft) with NSUI leaders accusing the ABVP and the DU administration of rigging in some booths. Videos and images circulated on social media purportedly showing blue ink marks in front of Maan’s name on the EVM machine in a few colleges. University authorities, however, stated that the elections had been conducted in accordance with procedures and under adequate supervision.

Maan won with 28,841 votes, defeating the NSUI’s Joslyn Nandita Choudhary, who polled fewer than half the votes (12,645) — the lowest for any post in the organisation. This was at least in part due to the candidature of Umanshi, an NSUI rebel candidate who fought independently after being denied a ticket and came third.

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'Helicopter candidates' ruin NSUI's chances

“Umanshi may have secured just 5,522 votes, but she made it very public that the NSUI was unfair to her, which definitely dented Joslyn’s votes and popularity,” sources told The Federal.

An NSUI leader also said that fielding “helicopter candidates” had affected the results, as Umanshi had been working in the organisation for several years, while Josyln was not a popular face.

Sources also said there were attempts to field both women candidates till the last moment — one for the president and one for the secretary — but it could not materialise due to factional fights.

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What made it even more difficult for the NSUI was that Maan — a Jat from Bahadurgarh, Haryana — allegedly pumped in a lot of money on his campaign. He even roped in Bollywood actors like Sanjay Dutt and Randeep Hooda to put out video messages in his support.

In a video message on Wednesday (September 17), Dutt appealed to students to vote for Maan, referring to him as his “nephew”. Similarly, Hooda, who is also from Haryana, asked for votes for his “younger brother” Maan.

'Defeat of tukde tukde gang'

After his victory, Maan was quick to term the NSUI’s loss as a “defeat of the tukde tukde gang”.

“This victory reflects the nationalistic consciousness of Generation Z, which prioritises the unity, integrity, and nation-building mission of India. The students of Delhi University have sent a clear message that they are capable of giving a strong response to elements promoting anti-national and anti-India activities,” he said.

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“This victory symbolises the students' resistance against the corrupt system and hollow politics that NSUI and Congress attempted to impose on the campus. This generation has clearly indicated, through their votes, that they support values such as nationalism, transparency, and integrity, rather than the politics of nepotism, corruption, and divisiveness,” Maan added.

NSUI wins vice-president post

On the post of vice-president, however, it was one of their own that landed them their biggest defeat. Jhansla secured 29,339 votes, defeating the ABVP’s Govind Tanwar, who received 20,547 votes. The winner — a Yadav from Rajasthan — was able to garner the support of not just the Rajasthani students' vote – a sizeable chunk in DU, but also enjoyed the support of the Purvanchali students — one of the key voting blocks apart from Jats and Gurjars.

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“It was after a long time that a Yadav candidate was fielded, so he got a lot of support because of that. Yadavs extend from Rajasthan to Bihar, so he enjoys the support of a large mass, plus he was somebody who is genuinely connected to the ground and works with people. After facing casteism in the ABVP, he joined the NSUI and reinvented himself by working between students and taking up progressive issues, aligning himself with the vision of Rahul Gandhi,” said sources.

Jhansla’s political campaign projected him as the ‘kisan ka beta (farmer’s son)’, a humble worker, drawing contrast with the politics of money and might by the ABVP.

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His message after winning was also one of humility, “This victory is not mine alone, but belongs to every student who placed their trust in me and entrusted me with this responsibility. I dedicate this victory to every student of Delhi University and pledge that I will continue to fight tirelessly for your interests and rights. Your trust is my greatest asset,” he said.

Another candidate who enjoyed Purvanchali support is the ABVP’s Deepika Jha, who won the joint secretary’s contest with 21,825 votes, defeating the NSUI’s Lavkush Badhana — a Gurjar — who got 17,380 votes.

The ABVP’s other key winner was Kunal Choudhary, who won the secretary’s post with 23,779 votes. The NSUI’s Kabir came second with 16,117 votes.

'Proud of our candidates'

“We are proud of our candidates who fought this election with courage and integrity. The RSS-BJP-backed ABVP, with the support of DU election authorities, shamelessly attempted to steal the elections by manipulating EVMs and involving professors. But no matter how much they misuse power, the NSUI will always stand with students, fight for their rights, and protect Delhi University. Win or loss, every struggle makes us stronger,” said Varun Choudhary, national president, NSUI.

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'Left a viable third pole'

The Left alliance of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI)-All India Students’ Association (AISA) finished third in all central panel posts, except for that of the president. AISA’s Anjali secured 5,385 votes for the president's post, while Abhishek Kumar got 8,425 votes in the contest for the joint secretary.

SFI’s Sohan Kumar got 4,163 votes in the fight for the vice-president, while Abhinandana Pratyashi, a tribal woman candidate from Assam, got 9,535 votes for the post of secretary – the highest for any Left candidate in recent times.

"Despite the challenges imposed by the (university) administration-ABVP nexus, the results show that the SFI-led Left has established itself as a viable third pole amongst students disenchanted by the politics of the dominant ABVP and NSUI," said Aishe Ghosh, SFI Delhi’s state secretary.

In a statement, AISA said the alliance had polled “historic numbers”.

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“This poll shows that hope for an alternative DUSU which resembles and mobilises students for an accessible, affordable, safe and inclusive education is on the horizon,” it said.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s Association of Students for Alternative Politics, which had earlier announced participation, finally decided against it, saying they would rather work on the ground and fight the elections next year.