The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has registered a commanding victory in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, winning three of the four central panel posts, president, secretary and joint secretary. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) managed to prevent a complete sweep by securing the vice president’s position.
ABVP’s Aryan Maan won the president’s post with a decisive margin of 16,196 votes, defeating NSUI candidate Joslyn Nandita Choudhary. For the secretary’s post, ABVP’s Kunal Chaudhary polled 23,779 votes to defeat NSUI’s Kabir.
The joint secretary’s position was also bagged by the ABVP, with Deepika Jha defeating Lavkush Bhadana.
NSUI’s Rahul Jhansla secured the vice president’s post, polling 29,339 votes against ABVP’s Govind Tanwar, who received 20,547 votes.
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students’ Association (AISA) failed to open their account in the elections.
Speaking after his victory, newly elected president Aryan Maan said he had long aspired to lead the students’ union. “I feel very nice. My dream for the past five years has been fulfilled. Today I want to thank every student of Delhi University because of whom I won with a margin of 16,000 votes. We again gave a befitting reply to the NSUI and won 3-1 against them. There are many dark spots on the campus for female students; we will get lights installed in those dark spots,” he said.
While conceding defeat in most positions, the NSUI claimed moral ground. In a post on X, NSUI national president Varun Choudhary said the organisation had fought a difficult battle. “We fought well in this odd election — not just against the ABVP, but against the combined force of the DU administration, Delhi government, central government, RSS-BJP and Delhi Police. Yet thousands of DU students stood firmly with us and our candidates fought well. Best wishes to Rahul Jhansla, newly elected DUSU vice president from NSUI panel, and to all other office bearers who won. Win or loss, NSUI will always fight for common students, their issues and to save DU. We will only grow stronger," he wrote.
ABVP’s Deepika Jha, newly elected joint secretary, described her win as a collective achievement. “This is not just my victory, it is the victory of all the students of DU, especially those who are migrants and are studying and living in DU. I give all credit to ABVP and the students of DU for their support. They talk about vote theft, but their own candidate has won by 8,000 votes, so now we can say they also steal votes,” she remarked.
The BJP leadership lauded ABVP’s performance. Party president J.P. Nadda said the result highlighted the resonance of nationalist ideals among the youth. “Guided by the ideals of Swami Vivekananda, the ABVP has always inspired the youth with a spirit of nationalism and selfless service. Its victory in key posts shows that the message of ‘Nation First’ is embraced by the young generation," said Nadda.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also congratulated ABVP, stating that the results reflected young people’s faith in the “Nation First” ideology.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta extended best wishes to the winners, urging them to fulfil their responsibilities towards the student community. “Heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all young comrades on ABVP’s splendid victory in the DUSU election. This victory is not just of an organisation, but of every youth who considers patriotism, discipline, service, and struggle as the guiding path of their life,” Gupta said at an event in the capital.
In the 2024 DUSU elections, the NSUI had staged a comeback after seven years by winning the president’s post and the joint secretary’s seat. The ABVP had then held on to the secretary’s position and also claimed the vice president’s post, ensuring its continued representation on the panel.
