'Sign of the times': Saurav Das hails Gen-Z over independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen's DUSU win

CJP co-convener Saurav Das backed independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen, who won the vice-president’s post in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) election, calling it “sign of the times”.

“So this is the real Gen-Z story from the DUSU election. The sign of the times. An independent candidate with years of hard work has scripted history by winning the highest votes in DUSU ever,” Das wrote on X.

“Gen-Z scripted history for an independent. Can’t read too much into this but those in government must understand the sign of the times,” he added.

The remarks came as Shokeen secured 30,615 votes to defeat ABVP candidate Ishu Maurya, who polled 16,910 votes. NSUI’s Vir Chatrath finished third with 4,313 votes, while AISA-SFI candidate Akshat Shikhar secured 2,383 votes.

Shokeen contested without the backing of any student organisation after failing to secure an NSUI ticket. The victory marked the return of an independent candidate to the DUSU central panel after 17 years.

Who is Deepanshu Shokeen?

The 21-year-old is a graduate of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College and is pursuing a master’s degree in the Department of Buddhist Studies. A resident of Peeragarhi village in west Delhi, he has been active in student politics with NSUI since 2023.

Shokeen had attempted to secure an NSUI ticket twice, in 2025 and 2026.

He was initially considered a potential candidate for the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI). However, his name was missing from the final list of candidates announced by the organisation on September 11, prompting him to contest as an independent.

“I was confident that I would win, but the margin with which I won took me by surprise,” Shokeen told HT.

He said he was disappointed after not being selected as the NSUI candidate but decided to rely on his work among students.

“I have been working on the ground with students for the past four years. Even though my party withdrew its support at the last minute, my confidence came from the hard work I had put in. A party can only give you a ticket, but students elect their representative. So, I decided to contest independently,” said Shokeen.

“I had very little time to prepare. Within just three days, I had to launch my own manifesto and campaign,” he added.

Deepanshu Shokeen's father works as a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus conductor, while his mother is an ASHA worker. He also has a younger brother who is still in school.

ABVP sweeps DUSU election

The ABVP swept the DUSU election, with its candidate Yash Dabas winning the president’s post as vote counting concluded on Saturday. The organisation secured three of the four central panel positions, while Shokeen won the vice-president’s post as an independent.

Dabas polled 24,576 votes to defeat NSUI’s Vijai Shankar Meena by a margin of 2,053 votes.

Describing the result as a victory for students, harmony, the Sangh and patriots, Dabas said the outcome reflected the organisation’s performance in the election.