New Delhi:

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) candidates won six out of the 11 seats in Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) Executive Council elections held on Sunday.

A total of 103 out of 135 representatives who cast their votes in the EC polls picked ABVP-supported candidates as their first choice, a statement said.

The Executive Councillors are elected by an Electoral College comprising the President and Central Councillors in DUSU and College Student Unions.

Earlier, the ABVP, the students’ wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, won the posts of Vice President and Secretary in the DUSU central panel.

The results of the Executive Council elections are a testimony to ABVP’s activities and organisational skills on the DU campus, said DUSU Secretary Mitravinda Karnawal.

Reiterating ABVP’s commitment towards student welfare, Karnawal said, “As soon as the elected members of EC take charge, we will work more actively in the interest of students. Thanks to all the students for this victory.”

ABVP Delhi State Secretary Harsh Atri said that the students’ organisation has always worked hard on student issues.

Atri said ABVP office-bearers in DUSU have already started holding dialogue with the administration on student issues like hostel, Metro pass and free bus service on the campus.

The ABVP Delhi State Secretary expressed hope that the newly-elected Executive Council members of the outfit would add to DUSU’s efforts for student welfare.

“I express my gratitude to all the students of Delhi University on this victory and the majority of ABVP in EC elections,” Atri said.

As per the DUSU results declared in November, Bhanu Pratap Singh of the ABVP won the Vice-President’s post.

Congress’ student wing National Students’ Union of India candidate Rounak Khatri was elected as DUSU president. NSUI’s Lokesh Choudhary bagged the post of Joint Secretary.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Counting of votes for Delhi University Students Union elections began on Saturday and the results of all four central panel posts of president, vice-president, secretary and joint secretary are expected to be announced soon. Twenty-four candidates are contesting the elections.

The DUSU elections were last held in 2019. The polls could not be held in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 while possible disruptions to the academic calendar prevented their conduct in 2022.

Chander Shekhar — the chief election officer for the polls — said the university recorded a voter turnout of 42 per cent. Around one lakh students were eligible to vote in the election.

While the voting percentage was higher than in 2019 when a turnout of 39.90 per cent was recorded, it failed to surpass the nearly 11-year-high figure of 2018. The turnouts in 2018 and 2017 were 44.46 per cent and 42.8 per cent, respectively.

Elections at 52 colleges and departments for the central panel were conducted through EVMs while voting for the college union polls was on paper ballot.

For the students, core issues ranged from fee hikes to the lack of affordable accommodations, enhanced security during college fests and menstrual leaves.

As for many organisations backed by political parties, these polls are a way to gauge the mood of young voters. This year’s elections assume significance as they were held just months before the Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) has claimed to have won union elections in 17 colleges (day colleges) while the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) claimed victory in 34.

The ABVP, NSUI, CPI(M)-backed Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the CPI(ML)-Liberation-linked All India Students’ Association (AISA) had fielded candidates for all four central posts. The ABVP won three of the four seats in the 2019 elections.

DUSU is the main representative body for most colleges and faculties. Each college also has its own students’ union, elections to which are held annually. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)