NEW DELHI: The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) secured three of the four central panel posts in the 2026 Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, while Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen clinched the vice-president’s post in a significant upset. The Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) failed to win any seat, marking a repeat of its 2023 wipeout.
ABVP candidates won the posts of president, secretary and joint secretary, reinforcing the organisation’s continued dominance in campus politics. During last year's elections, ABVP had won three posts, with NSUI managing only the vice-president’s position.
In the presidential race, ABVP’s Yash Dabas polled 24,576 votes, defeating NSUI’s Vijai Shankar Meena by a margin of 2,053 votes. The Left, contesting separately, secured 5,377 votes.
Shokeen emerged as a surprise winner in the vice-president contest, polling 30,615 votes -- the first-ever candidate to secure this many votes in the polls. His victory comes amid claims that he was denied an NSUI ticket at the last moment, a factor that appeared to galvanise support in his favour.
For the secretary’s post, the ABVP candidate secured 21,650 votes, defeating the NSUI candidate, who polled 14,869 votes, by a margin of 6,781 votes. In the joint secretary race, the ABVP candidate won by 837 votes, securing 16,615 votes against 15,778 votes polled by the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha (Independent) candidate. While the SP and Left together polled 21,615 votes, the Left alone secured 5,837 votes.
The results reflect ABVP’s sustained electoral strength in DUSU. Elections have been held since 1954, with ABVP entering the fray in 1971. The organisation won all four posts in the first direct elections in 1973 and has since frequently secured the president’s position. Of the 13 elections held since 2010, ABVP has won the president’s post nine times.
Reacting to the victory, DUSU president Yash Dabas said the results were a reflection of sustained grassroots work.
“It is a clean sweep for us. It doesn’t matter who was in the close fight with us. We remained on the ground and will continue to raise students’ issues, starting with hostel accommodation,” he said.
"Our primary concern will be ensuring that a safety audit is conducted for every PG and hostel. We all witnessed the accident that occurred in Satya Niketan; we do not want such an incident to happen to anyone in the future, and that will be our first priority—conducting safety audits for every college, hostel, and PG. The Vidyarthi Parishad won 3-1 last time and has won 3-1 this time as well; next time, we will win 4-0," he added.
Meanwhile, NSUI’s Vijai Shankar Meena, who was leading in early rounds before slipping after the 17th round, alleged electoral malpractice. “The winning organization made people vote on the basis of fake ID cards,” he claimed.
