DUSU Elections today: ABVP vs NSUI vs AISA-SFI - Key candidates, issues, voting time and a high court warning

DUSU Polls today: The voting for the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections is scheduled to be held today. Major student organisations, including the ABVP, NSUI and the AISA-SFI alliance, are contesting the most closely watched university students union elections in the country.

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.

The results will determine the composition of the DUSU central panel for the 2026-27 academic session.

The elections assume even more signficance as they are being held weeks after the Satya Niketan tragedy in the national capital which claimed seven lives, including students. The polls are also held months after student-led protests at Jantar Mantar led to resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

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

“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,” Chief Election Officer Raj Kishore Sharma told news agency PTI.

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

Who are the key players?

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, till the declaration of results.

What happened in 2025 polls?

In the 2025 election, the The RSS-affiliated 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.

Who are te key candiddates?

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

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.

Maurya, a law student at Campus Law Centre, has been associated with ABVP since 2021, while Chhawadi is a fourth-year BA Programme student at Sri Aurobindo College and an inter-college basketball player. Singh, also pursuing law at Campus Law Centre, has represented India in handball at the Asian Games and World Championship, the organisation said.

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.

Its "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.

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".

ABVP won 6 of 10 elections

Over the past decade, the ABVP won the DUSU president's post six times, while the NSUI secured it twice, in 2017-18 and 2024. Elections were not held for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year's election process was smoother than the previous year, with fewer instances of defacement and smaller victory processions. Chief Election Officer Sharma had described the conduct of the polls as "very smooth and satisfactory", with a voter turnout of 39.45 per cent.

The 2026 elections will be conducted in accordance with the DUSU Code of Conduct, its Constitution, and the relevant directions of the Supreme Court, Delhi High Court, and the National Green Tribunal.

What are the key issues?

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 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.

Ahead of polling, students put forward a mix of everyday campus demands and more light-hearted election wishes—from functioning water coolers and reliable Wi-Fi to better college fest line-ups and even discounted Diet Coke.

For Sri Venkateswara College fresher Ronil Batra, the priority is a canteen upgrade, with affordable Diet Coke high on his list. He wants the drink to be made available at discounted rates in college canteens or through vending machines, particularly during the exam season.

“Diet Coke is basically the drink of Gen Z and the fuel during exam season,” Batra told Hindustan Times. “Give us Diet Coke and see how our productivity doubles.” He adds that candidates who make it happen would “instantly” get his vote.

For Kirori Mal College fresher Gayatri Dave, the focus is on college festivals and their promised headline acts. She wants fest committees to bring in artistes that students are genuinely excited to watch, rather than performers who fail to draw crowds.

“Every year college fest committees promise a ‘big surprise artiste’,” Dave was quoted as saying by HT, adding that students should get a lineup “we’re excited to skip classes for.”

At Gargi College, the demand is more basic: access to clean drinking water. First-year student Sanya says students often struggle to find functioning water coolers, with broken equipment, dirty water and empty dispensers forcing them to buy bottled water between classes.

“This isn’t asking for AC classrooms; it’s asking for clean water that works,” she told Hindustan Times. “How is that still up for debate every election?”

Reliable campus connectivity is another concern. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College fresher Kishank Singh says the college Wi-Fi frequently disconnects, forcing students to rely on mobile data during submissions and study sessions.

“It disconnects every ten minutes and is basically useless,” Singh says. “Fix this one thing, and honestly, that’s half the manifesto sorted.”

History of DUSU

The Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) traces its origins to August 6, 1947, when the university first considered a proposal to create a representative body for its students, just days before India awoke to freedom at the stroke of midnight.

University records seen by news agency PTI reveal that on 6 August 1947, the vice-chancellor informed the Executive Council that a representative body of students desired to establish a university students' union.

The evolution of the students' union over the decades mirrors the changing nature of student politics and representation at Delhi University, news agency PTI said.

High Court Warning

The Delhi High Court on Thursday expressed strong displeasure over alleged incidents of violence and hooliganism during campaigning for the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections and warned that it would stay the counting of votes and declaration of results if authorities do not take satisfactory action for the “unruly conduct”, legal news website Bar and Bench reported.

A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia emphasised that "criminal" behaviour cannot be justified in the name of democracy, and asked Delhi Police and the Delhi University to file status reports by Friday.

"No excuses will be accepted by the court. We are making it very clear that though we are not staying the election or postponing the election, if we are not satisfied by your action, tomorrow we can pass harsher orders, including staying the counting and declaration of results," the bench stated.

"What we feel is that unless such drastic orders are passed, no one is going to come to terms and it is very sad. Please tell us if you are unable to control the situation. We know how to get it done. This can't be permitted," it further said.

The court said the lawyers representing the various students organisations should appear for hearing Friday.

Advocate Prashant Manchanda said Wednesday was the "blackest day" in the history of DUSU elections, when certain persons hijacked DU's north campus area and professors and students were beaten.

Manchanda's latest application alleged that this year, election campaigning witnessed violence, vandalism, large-scale mobilisation and entry of outsiders and use of fleets of high-end vehicles, which included cars without registration plates, etc, in complete violation of the norms.

The court said that the material before it showed a "complete failure" on part of the authorities and the students in ensuring a smooth election process in DU and compliance with the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee report and the orders of the High Court and the Supreme Court.

Enough is enough: HC

The court observed that the material showed cars without number plates, and certain incriminating pictures had even been posted on the candidates' official handles.

The bench, which initially orally remarked that it would postpone the elections, asserted the first responsibility for such "reckless and criminal conduct" lied with the students and questioned why the DU and police authorities were unable to check the presence of "outsiders" and control the situation.

Enough is enough. You (students) are thrashing your own teachers in the name of being creative, brandishing guns.

"Enough is enough. You (students) are thrashing your own teachers in the name of being creative, brandishing guns. You (DU) simply say you cannot control anything. We will abandon the elections. If you are unable to control, leave your job. Your own daughter, my niece are studying in north campus. What will happen to them," the court asked.