Safety audit of hostels, PGs my first task: DUSU president-elect Yash Dabas

Newly elected Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) president Yash Dabas said on Saturday that his first task would be a safety audit of all college hostels and PGs, while vice-president Deepanshu Shokeen vowed to seek justice for those who died in the Satya Niketan building collapse incident.

“This victory belongs to social harmony, patriotism and unity,” said Dabas, whose RSS-affiliated ABVP won three of the four central panel posts.

Shokeen, who polled 30,615 votes and won as an independent candidate after being denied an NSUI ticket, said the campaign trail had shaped his priorities.

“My priority will be to fight for students’ rights and demand justice for those who lost their lives in the Satya Niketan incident. The hardships I faced while campaigning on foot reminded me of the difficulties faced by nearly 1.5 lakh students of Delhi University, and I will work to address their concerns and fight for their rights,” he said.

Shokeen, who is pursuing an MA in the Department of Buddhist Studies, is the son of a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus conductor and an Anganwadi teacher, and a native of Peeragarhi village in west Delhi.

In the presidential race, Dabas polled 24,576 votes and defeated NSUI’s Vijai Shankar Meena by 2,053 votes.

Also Read: ABVP wins 3 DUSU posts; independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen gets vice-president’s position

The ABVP also won the secretary’s post, with its candidate polling 21,650 votes against 14,869 for the NSUI nominee. For joint secretary, the ABVP candidate secured 16,615 votes, narrowly ahead of the 15,778 polled by the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha candidate.

The Congress-backed NSUI failed to win any of the four central panel posts. Last year, the ABVP won the president, secretary, and joint secretary posts, while the NSUI secured the vice-president post.