The Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections have drawn massive participation this year, with 82 students filing nominations for the four central panel posts on the last day. After scrutiny, 73 nominations were found valid while eight were rejected, officials said.
According to university data, the post of president drew the highest aspirants, with 24 nominations. Three nominations were rejected, and 21 were cleared for the post. Similarly, for the vice president's, 15 out of 18 candidates were allowed to stay in the race. The secretary's post saw 21 applications, with 20 declared valid, while 17 of 19 nominations for joint secretary were accepted.
The final list of candidates for the DUSU elections will be released on Thursday after the withdrawal process ends.
Students protesting against the cancellation of nominations
Meanwhile, protests erupted at Motilal Nehru College on Thursday after several candidates were disqualified from the student union elections. Early in the morning, students shut the college gate, leaving both teachers and students stranded outside.
Many nominations were cancelled due to less than 75 per cent attendance. The election committee rejected the students' demands, after which the students began protesting.
DUSU elections 2025
Voting is scheduled for September 18, with counting to follow on September 19. Nearly 2.75 lakh students are eligible to participate in the polls.
The voting for day classes will be held from 8:30 am to 1 pm, while students of evening classes will cast their votes from 3 pm to 7:30 pm. The last date for receipt of nomination papers, along with a demand draft of Rs 500 as an annual fee and a bond of Rs 1 lakh, is September 10 by 3 pm, as per the DU notification.
Polling for the four central panel posts will take place through electronic voting machines, while college-level elections will continue with ballot papers.
Student groups have begun finalising their nominees. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) confirmed that six members filed nominations, with four to be announced for the central panel on September 11. The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) said eight members filed papers, and its final panel will be declared on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Left-backed student outfits AISA and SFI have already struck a seat-sharing deal, with AISA contesting president and joint secretary and SFI fielding candidates for vice president and secretary.
This year's elections are being conducted under strict anti-defacement rules, in line with the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines.
Last year's election results
In last year's DUSU elections, the Congress-backed National Students' Union of India (NSUI) had made a comeback after seven years as it clinched the president and joint secretary positions. The RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had to remain content with the vice-president and secretary posts. NSUI's Rounak Khatri had emerged victorious in the presidential race, defeating ABVP's Rishabh Chaudhary by more than 1,300 votes. This was the first time that NSUI won the president's post since 2017 when Rocky Tuseed was elected to the chair.
(With PTI inputs)
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