DUSU 2026 election LIVE: Voting underway; security upped at North Campus, 900 cops deployed

DUSU 2026 Election LIVE: The contest for the four central panel posts, namely president, vice president, secretary and joint secretary, is expected to see an intense battle between the RSS-affiliated ABVP, Congress-backed NSUI and the Left alliance of AISA and SFI.

Key Events

• 11 Mins agoSecurity blanket for the polls
• 16 Mins agoWho is Ananya Raturi, AISA-SFI alliance's presidential candidate?
• 22 Mins agoWho is NSUI presidential candidate Vijay Shankar Meena?
• 25 Mins agoWho is ABVP presidential candidate Yash Dabas?
• 28 Mins agoCounting and results tomorrow
• 29 Mins agoPolling to begin at 8:30 am
• 32 Mins agoTotal 12 control rooms active for student body polls

DUSU 2026 Election LIVE: Security personnel presence seen at the DU North Campus area in view of DUSU Elections, in New Delhi. (Photo by )

DUSU 2026 Election LIVE: With polling for the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections scheduled for Friday, major student organisations, including the ABVP, NSUI and the AISA-SFI alliance, are gearing up for one of the most closely watched contests in student politics. Voting will be held on Friday, with polling for day classes from 8.30 am to 1 pm and evening classes from 3 pm to 7.30 pm. Counting of votes is scheduled for September 19 at the Multipurpose Hall, University Sports Stadium, North Campus....Read More

A total of 1,000 EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) have been deployed, out of which 960 will be in use on Friday, with 40 in reserve, university officials told PTI.

The contest for the four central panel posts, namely president, vice president, secretary and joint secretary, is expected to see an intense battle between the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Congress-backed National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the Left alliance of the All India Students' Association (AISA) and Students' Federation of India (SFI).

The university has restricted vehicular movement on key stretches, including Chhatra Marg, Probyn Road and University Road, ahead of the election process, while student organisations are taking their campaigns to classrooms, college campuses and social media.

According to an advisory issued by the university, traffic restrictions will be in place on Friday and Saturday until the results are declared.

In the 2025 election, the ABVP won three of the four central panel posts, including the president's position, while the NSUI secured the vice-president's post.

ABVP's Aryan Maan had won the president's post with 28,841 votes, while NSUI's Rahul Jhansla secured the vice-president's post with 29,339 votes. ABVP candidates Kunal Chaudhary and Deepika Jha became secretary and joint secretary, respectively, after defeating their opponents.

Meet the candidates

The final provisional list, released after scrutiny and withdrawal of nominations, includes seven candidates for president, five for vice-president, four for secretary, and four for joint secretary.

ABVP has fielded Yash Dabas for president, Ishu Maurya for vice-president, Riya Chhawadi for secretary and Lakshya Raj Singh for joint secretary.

The NSUI has nominated Vijay Shankar Meena for president, Vir Chatrath for vice-president, Namrata Chaudhary for secretary and Gopal Choudhary for joint secretary.

The organisation has said its campaign will focus on putting "student interests first" and building a "prosperous, safe and better" Delhi University.

The AISA-SFI alliance has nominated Ananya Raturi for president, Akshat Shikhar for vice-president, Stanzin Deskyong for secretary and B Parijaat for joint secretary.

The alliance has described its panel as representing "alternative politics" and said it would seek to build a student-led DUSU while opposing "money and muscle politics".

Who promised what

NSUI’s "My Campus, My Manifesto" campaign received several suggestions from students, with the initiative aimed at incorporating their concerns into its election agenda, members had said.

ABVP's "My DU, My Manifesto" campaign has similarly sought feedback from students, while the organisation has highlighted issues related to student welfare and campus facilities.

Student safety and accommodation have emerged as an important poll plank, among other issues, following the Satya Niketan building collapse earlier this month, which claimed seven lives, including students. The incident has renewed attention on the availability and safety of student housing in the national capital.

The AISA-SFI alliance has raised demands related to affordable accommodation and hostel facilities, while ABVP has highlighted its housing agenda, including proposals for a Student Housing Cell and safety audits.

Follow all the updates here:

Sep 18, 2026, 08:03:16 IST

Security was tightened across Delhi University on Friday as polling for the DU Students' Union (DUSU) elections is about to get underway, with more than 2,000 police and paramilitary personnel deployed across the North and South campuses, an official said.

Voting for the four central panel posts -- president, vice president, secretary and joint secretary -- is being held in two shifts.

Students attending day classes will vote from 8.30 am to 1 pm, while polling at evening colleges will take place from 3 pm to 7.30 pm.

Sep 18, 2026, 07:58:08 IST

The AISA-SFI alliance has fielded Ananya Raturi for president. Hailing from Uttarakhand, Raturi has been associated with several campus movements. AISA said she led a movement against sexual harassment at IPCW, which resulted in a proctorial inquiry against the administration. The organisation also highlighted her role in the movement concerning the alleged assault of a Dalit student at SBSC and an incident in 2025 involving a confrontation with Aryan Maan over what it described as “hypermasculine and muscle-based politics”.

Sep 18, 2026, 07:52:37 IST

Vijay Shankar Meena hails from a simple family in Rajasthan and belongs to the Adivasi community, representing an emphasis on social justice and underrepresented communities in student leadership.

Sep 18, 2026, 07:49:11 IST

Yash Dabas, who hails from Kanjhawala in Delhi, is pursuing studies in the Department of Buddhist Studies and is an international-level tennis player. He has participated in ITF competitions in Spain, Australia and Serbia, according to ABVP.

Sep 18, 2026, 07:46:09 IST

Counting of votes is scheduled for September 19 at the Multipurpose Hall, University Sports Stadium, North Campus.

Sep 18, 2026, 07:45:06 IST

Voting will be held on Friday, with polling for day classes from 8.30 am to 1 pm and evening classes from 3 pm to 7.30 pm.

Sep 18, 2026, 07:42:42 IST

Chief Election Officer Raj Kishore Sharma told PTI, “A total of 12 control rooms will be functional on Friday. In case any of the EVMs glitch, experts will be available to readily fix them.”

Sharma added that once the polls conclude, the EVMs will be securely transported by the police to the multipurpose hall, where they will be opened at the time of vote counting on Saturday.

Home India news DUSU 2026 Election LIVE: Voting to begin soon as Delhi University gears up for student body polls