DUSU Elections 2026: First phase records 36% turnout, evening voting underway

NEW DELHI: The Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections saw an approximate 36 per cent voter turnout in the first phase on Friday, with voting for students attending evening classes underway, officials said. Polling began at 8.30 am for the four central panel posts, namely president, vice-president, secretary and joint secretary, along with college representatives. Last year, student elections across a majority of Delhi University colleges had recorded a voter turnout of approximately 39.45 per cent.

The election this year is an intense contest involving the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Congress-backed National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the All India Students Association (AISA)-Students' Federation of India (SFI) alliance.

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 candidates are Vijay Shankar Meena for president, Vir Chatrath for vice-president, Namrata Chaudhary for secretary and Gopal Choudhary for joint secretary. 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.

DUSU Elections 2026

The election comes a year after the ABVP won three of the four central panel posts in 2025, 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 had won the secretary and joint secretary posts, respectively. The NSUI, which had made a comeback in the 2024 DUSU elections, ending a seven-year ABVP rule by winning two central panel posts, could secure only a single victory in 2025. This year, a total of 1,000 electronic voting machines (EVM) have been deployed, of which 960 are being used for polling and 40 are kept in reserve, university officials said.

Chief Election Officer Raj Kishore Sharma said 12 control rooms would remain operational during the polling, with technical experts available to address any malfunction. After the polling concludes, the EVMs will be transported under police security to the Multipurpose Hall of the University Sports Stadium in North Campus, where counting is scheduled for Saturday, he said.

Student welfare, campus infrastructure, hostel accommodation and safety have emerged as key campaign issues, particularly following the collapse of a five-storey PG building in Satya Niketan earlier this month, claiming seven lives, including that of students. The university has also imposed restrictions on vehicular movement along key stretches, including Chhatra Marg, Probyn Road and University Road, in view of the election process. The restrictions will remain in force on Friday and Saturday until the declaration of results, according to a university advisory.