Delhi University students’ Union (DUSU) elections for 2026 have been declared, with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) winning three of the four key central positions. ABVP won the President, Secretary and Joint Secretary positions, while independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen won the Vice-President position.
The results were declared after 20 rounds of counting ending a closely watched contest involving ABVP, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the AISA-SFI alliance and independent candidates. The result again was a 3-1 distribution of the four central DUSU posts with the Vice-President's position being taken by an independent candidate.
Yash Dabas won the presidential election with 24,576 votes and NSUI candidate Vijay Shankar Meena received 22,523 votes. Dabas will now take the top post in the student union after an extensive campaign that focused on campus safety and facilities.
Riya Chhawdi won the Secretary’s post with 21,650 votes and Lakshya Raj Singh received the Joint Secretary position with 16,615 votes. Between the three winnings, ABVP held three major positions in the student body.
The Vice-President contest was different. Deepanshu Shokeen, an independent candidate after having previously been affiliated to NSUI, won the post with 30,615 votes. ABVP candidate Ishu Maurya received 16,910 votes while NSUI’s Vir Chatrath received 4,313 votes.
After his victory, Dabas said the new DUSU leadership would concentrate on student safety. He stressed the need for safety audits for colleges, hostels and paying guest accommodation. The idea would be to identify potential hazards and prevent students from getting hurt, Dabas said.
Dabas also said ABVP had retained its three-post result from the previous DUSU election and added that the organisation would be aiming to win all four central posts in the next election. That came after a campaign that saw candidates address a variety of student issues.
Shokeen also thanked the students who supported his independent campaign. He said students were instrumental in his campaign and said he aims to make the DUSU more accountable to the students. He also said he had decided to campaign barefoot as a way to highlight the difficulties students face.
The university had earlier directed winning candidates and their supporters not to organise victory rallies on or outside the campus. The directions were issued in accordance with directions from Delhi High Court.
The 2026 DUSU elections saw 20 candidates for the four central posts. Seven candidates in the presidential race and five for the Vice-President. Four candidates competed for the Secretary and Joint Secretary positions.
Arun Hooda, former president of NSUI DUSU, commented on the outcome of the election in a way that was critical of the ABVP and BJP. He linked the result to employment, education courses, hostel facilities, fee waivers and the safety of female students. His comments were about how the election result and the issues affecting students influenced students.
Before the final results, DUSU President Aryan Maan had expressed confidence that ABVP could win all four posts. He pointed to the organisation’s campus activities during the year and said issues like nationalism had resonated with young voters.
DUSU elections polling concluded on Friday in 52 polling centres at Delhi University. Voter turnout was 40.46 per cent, higher than the 39.5 per cent in the previous election. The high turnout made the 2026 election one of the more closely followed recent DUSU contests.
With the final results now announced, ABVP has once again secured three of the four central DUSU positions while the Vice-President’s post has gone to an independent candidate. The new office-bearers are expected to focus on student concerns like campus safety and accommodation to facilities and representation.
