The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) retained its hold on Delhi University student politics on Saturday, winning three of the four central panel posts in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections. But the most striking result came from independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen, who won the vice-president’s post by a huge margin.
ABVP’s Yash Dabas was elected president, defeating National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) candidate Vijay Shankar Meena. Riya Chhawdi won the secretary’s post and Lakshya Raj Singh that of joint secretary. Shokeen, a former NSUI associate who contested as an independent after being denied the organisation’s ticket, polled the most votes of all four winners.
After 20 rounds of counting, Dabas secured 24,576 votes against Meena’s 22,523, a margin of 2,053. Shokeen won with 30,615 votes, 13,705 ahead of ABVP’s Ishu Maurya (16,910); NSUI’s Vir Chatrath got 4,313. Chhawdi polled 21,650 votes against NSUI’s Namrata Chaudhary (14,869). Singh won with 16,641 votes, narrowly ahead of independent Vishesh Yadav (15,778) and NSUI’s Gopal Choudhary.
Polling was held on Friday at 52 centres, with a turnout of 40.46 per cent among more than 1.5 lakh eligible voters. Counting took place under tight security at the University Sports Stadium in North Campus. The Delhi High Court had barred victory processions after the results, citing concerns over hooliganism.
The elections were held in the shadow of the September 6 building collapse in Satya Niketan, a major private accommodation hub for South Campus students, which killed seven people, including five DU students. Housing safety, hostel shortages, women’s security and academic concerns dominated the campaign across parties.
Shokeen’s independent surge
Shokeen’s win is among the most emphatic by an independent in recent DUSU history. The 21-year-old, a student of the Department of Buddhist Studies and a graduate of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, is the son of a Delhi Transport Corporation bus conductor and an Anganwadi worker from Peeragarhi in west Delhi. He campaigned barefoot, pledging not to wear footwear until justice was delivered for the Satya Niketan victims.
Speaking after the results, Shokeen called the mandate an expression of students’ trust in an independent voice. “I am particularly happy that I have crossed the 30,000-vote mark despite contesting without the backing of a major student organisation. This result is significant in the history of DUSU, and now I want to convert the support I have received into work on the ground,” he said.
Shokeen says his immediate priorities are accommodation and student safety. He plans to stage a sit-in outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office on Monday to press students’ demands. “My first focus will be on the hostel demand in Delhi University. I want to start my tenure by working on this issue,” he said. He also pledged to take up issues facing women students. “Apart from hostels, I will also work on issues concerning women students, whether it is safety, sanitation, hygiene or other problems that women face on campus,” he said.
On his political future, Shokeen was non-committal. “I have not yet decided whether I will continue as an independent or join a political organisation again. I will make that decision later. For now, my attention is on the issues for which students have voted for me,” he said.
Dabas prioritises safety audits
Dabas, an international-level tennis player, called his win a collective mandate. He prevailed in a closely fought contest in which the lead changed hands over several rounds. His first priority, he said, would be a safety audit of college hostels and paying-guest accommodations.
“My priority will be to conduct a safety audit of college hostels and PG accommodations,” Dabas said. “We all witnessed the accident that occurred in Satya Niketan. We do not want such an incident to happen to anyone in the future.” He also promised stronger security around women’s hostels and colleges, better lighting and improved surveillance.
Chhawdi and Singh outline their agendas
Secretary Riya Chhawdi, a fourth-year BA student at Sri Aurobindo College and an inter-college basketball player from a farming family in Badarpur, placed women’s safety at the centre of her plans. During the campaign, she spoke of better lighting, tighter security, women’s common rooms, access to sanitary products and improved healthcare.
“The emphasis is not only on preventing incidents of harassment or insecurity, but also on improving the everyday conditions in which women students study and live,” she said. “Women students should have access to proper sanitation, menstrual hygiene facilities and healthcare support on campus.”
Joint Secretary Lakshya Raj Singh, who is pursuing law at the Campus Law Centre, focused on academic and career issues. He called for timely declaration of examination results, transparency in the examination process, and more internships, training and digital-skills opportunities. “Students need opportunities beyond the classroom. We have to work towards creating better opportunities for internships, skills and careers,” he said.
Mandate and expectations
ABVP had also won three posts last year, while NSUI failed to win a single post this time. Congress leaders alleged irregularities in the counting, a charge the winning side rejected. BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, congratulated ABVP, calling the outcome a reflection of youth trust in its “Nation First” ideology.
For Shokeen, the test will be whether an independent can deliver without organisational machinery. For the ABVP-led panel under Dabas, the challenge is to turn campaign promises on safety audits, accommodation, hygiene and academic reforms into concrete action.
