New Delhi: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) retained three key positions in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections 2026, winning the posts of president, secretary and joint secretary. The election also witnessed a close contest with the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), while an independent candidate secured the vice-president’s post.
ABVP’s Yash Dabas was elected president with 24,576 votes, defeating NSUI’s Vijay Shankar Meena, who secured 22,523 votes.
The vice-president’s post went to Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen, who secured 30,615 votes. He defeated ABVP’s Ishu Maurya, who received 16,901 votes. Shokeen recorded both the highest vote tally and the widest victory margin among the four elected candidates.
ABVP’s Riya Chhawdi won the secretary’s post with 21,650 votes, defeating NSUI’s Namrata Chaudhary, who polled 14,869 votes. The secretary’s victory margin increased to 6,781 votes from 3,234 last year.
For joint secretary, ABVP’s Lakshay Raj Singh defeated Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha candidate Vishesh Yadav by 837 votes. NSUI finished third in the contest.
The voter participation significantly increased this year, with turnout rising from 39.5% to 40.46%, the highest level in three years.
The elections were held amid heightened student activism in Delhi. Several DU students had participated in protests at Jantar Mantar, while demonstrations over student accommodation followed a paying guest building collapse in Satya Niketan.
The campaign and polling period also witnessed incidents of violence. The Delhi High Court had threatened to halt vote counting over violence and later banned victory processions, warning of contempt action.
The Left alliance of AISA and SFI failed to substantially alter the established ABVP-NSUI contest. Its presidential candidate Ananya Raturi received 5,377 votes, while its secretary candidate polled 8,734 votes.
An AAP-affiliated student body also fielded visually impaired candidate Pankaj Kumar Dhingra for secretary, who secured 7,639 votes. NOTA remained significant, receiving 4,310 votes for president, 4,359 for vice-president, 7,884 for secretary and 7,389 for joint secretary.
Following the results, Dabas said students had expressed support for “social harmony and nationalism” and pledged to represent student concerns. Chhawdi said the new leadership would focus on student safety, facilities, equal opportunities and a positive academic environment, particularly addressing the concerns of women students.
