NEW DELHI: The BJP-backed Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has won the Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) polls for the second consecutive term. The ABVP trounced its closest contender, the Congress’ student wing, National Student Union Of India (NSUI), while the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) student wing CYSS drew a blank in the three-way contest. It came as a major setback to the AAP as students rejected the party outright.
For decades, DUSU polls have been a nursery of young political talent for mainstream political parties. This year, the AAP tested the waters among the youth and got disappointing results despite its internal survey claiming that it would win all the seats. Last time it seemed that Narendra Modi wave worked in favour of the ABVP, but this time it was the development works done by the Central government and the results are “reflect the mood of the youth across the country,” said Vijender Gupta, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly. Slogans of ‘student power, nation power’ and ‘ABVP once more’ rent the air at the ABVP office, while #ABVPRocks trended on Twitter. On Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, newly elected DUSU president Satwendar Awana said, “Kejriwal was all on the posters in the South and North campus, which seems not to have worked in favour of the student wing. AAP launched three U-special buses and a rock concert that was attended by all the bigwigs of the party and star campaigners. Where did all the money coming from?”
Awana is a first-year student in the Department of Buddhist Studies. He garnered 20,439 votes.
Newly-elected vice-president Sunny Dedha, a law student, got 19,677 votes; secretary Anjali Rana, who is a student of History Honours, got 14,944 votes, and Chattarpal Yadav bagged the post of joint secretary with 16,243 votes.