Elections to the world’s largest student body, the Delhi University Student Union (DUSU), are more than just an annual student exercise; they reflect India’s broader political landscape, where identity, representation, and national ideologies converge. On September 27, students across 52 colleges and faculties affiliated with DUSU will vote to elect their representatives. This election not only determines student leadership, but its ramifications extend far beyond the campus, with many DUSU contestants going on to hold public offices. Notable examples include former Finance Minister the late Arun Jaitley, ex-BJP minister Vijay Goel, former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, Congress MP Ajay Maken, and All India Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba.

For the past decade, coinciding with the BJP’s rule, the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has maintained a stronghold over DUSU. Last year, after a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19, ABVP secured three key positions, including the president, while the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, wrested the vice president post. Although ABVP and NSUI traditionally dominate university elections, leftist student organisations have gained traction.

This year marks the first-ever alliance between the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students’ Association (AISA), adding new dynamics to the race. A total of 21 candidates are contesting for four key positions: eight for president, five for vice president, and four each for secretary and joint secretary. With the university swamped in the election campaign—from posters and pamphlets covering every inch of the campus—the intensity is reflective of the larger political atmosphere of the country.

Women representation lacking

Despite its scale, the DUSU elections are not very representative, particularly for women. Although assurances of inclusivity are made, women’s participation remains low. Shabana Hussain, a student of the Faculty of Law, filed a petition demanding 50 per cent women’s reservation for DUSU office bearers. On September 11, the Delhi High Court ordered the Vice Chancellor to address the issue.

While all organisations speak on women’s safety, ABVP or NSUI rarely nominate more than one woman on their lists, highlighting a broader trend of underrepresentation. In the past 65 years since DUSU’s inception, only 10 female presidents have been elected, calling into question the commitment of both the administration and student organisations in fostering representational inclusivity.

While other student bodies welcomed the demand for equal representation, the ABVP took a different stance. Mitravinda Karanwal, ABVP’s secretary candidate, told Frontline: “We are not concerned about women’s reservation. ABVP empowers women through genuine representation. I am a big example of how ABVP has been empowering their women functionaries; we have many women like myself who are already empowered to contest for two posts, three posts, and even four posts.” Meanwhile, the AISA-SFI alliance has fielded three women candidates, while NSUI and ABVP each have one.

The DUSU elections are infamous for the influence of muscle and money power. As campaigning intensifies, every nook and corner of the North Campus is strewn with pamphlets and posters, despite a National Green Tribunal order against printed materials. Luxury cars canvass the area, while flex banners—some as wide as the roads—add to the hype. Streets are covered with flyers, and groups of male students, wearing white shirts and scarves from different student bodies, crowd the barricaded roads. As the campus environment deteriorates under the weight of unchecked campaigning, concerns have been raised about conducting independent audits of the spending done by the candidates.

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A bench of the Delhi High Court, while hearing a plea on September 25 seeking action against prospective DUSU candidates and student bodies involved in the defacement of public property, remarked, “How much is being spent on these elections, is there any audit being done? This must be a few crores, not even in lakhs.” It directed the Vice Chancellor to take stringent action by either postponing the election, disqualifying candidates and starting nominations afresh, or holding the results until all defacement is removed. On September 26, the court directed the Vice Chancellor to hold the election results until all defacement were removed.

In 2005, the Lyngdoh Committee, formed by the Supreme Court to regulate university elections, capped election expenditure at Rs.5,000 per candidate. However, student bodies often exploit loopholes, such as misspelling names on banners, thereby disclaiming ownership of such materials. “I believe rules need to evolve over time. The Committee’s spending limit is outdated,” said Karnwal. “Even using public transport to campaign across campus exceeds that amount. How can we interact with students under such restrictions?”

NSUI’s joint secretary candidate, Lokesh Choudhary, downplayed the role of muscle power, acknowledging the challenges. “My family background speaks for itself. I take pride in the fact that NSUI is the only student body that provides opportunities to students from ordinary families,” he said.

Karanwal also challenged claims of muscle and money power in elections. “I’ve contested this election with minimal resources. I’m not moving around in convoys of cars; I’m campaigning with the support of my friends and fellow women.”

AISA-SFI’s joint secretary candidate, Anamika K., painted a grimmer picture: “DUSU elections are driven by caste, money, and power politics. Political consciousness is decreasing, students are becoming polarised, and public universities are under attack.” She accused the ABVP and NSUI of diverting attention from real issues. She described the elections as a “free pass to harass students”, citing the crores of rupees being funnelled into the process and the harassment faced by candidates filing nominations.

The caste factor

Caste remains a deeply entrenched factor in Indian politics, and DUSU elections also reflect this reality. Many candidates are found appealing to specific caste or regional identities for support. Choudhary criticised the ABVP, asserting: “They are working towards ending SC/ST/OBC reservations, leaving marginalised communities without a voice. DUSU, teachers, everyone seems aligned with ABVP.”

A look at some of the recently elected office-bearers shows a dominance of Jat-Gurjar candidates, thereby reducing elections to polarised rivalry along caste lines. Sneha Agrawal, AISA-SFI’s secretary candidate, told Frontline: “Caste plays a huge role in DUSU elections, especially considering DU’s proximity to western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab. ABVP and NSUI give tickets based on caste, usually to Jat, Gujjar, or wealthy students. They rely on caste and not on issue-based politics.”

Candidates across the spectrum emphasised the need to address the rights and welfare of SC/ST and OBC students through increased scholarships, Equal Opportunity Cells, and Grievance Redressal Cells. AISA-SFI’s Ayush Mondal reinforced the fight for inclusivity, stating: “Very few people from my community make it this far in their studies. Whether you’re Dalit, Muslim, or queer, all groups are under attack. This fight is not for just one identity; it’s for everyone, and it can only succeed if we fight together.”

The alliance between the left-leaning SFI and AISA marks a strategic effort to challenge the dominance of ABVP and NSUI in the DUSU election. However, the anticipated INDIA bloc at the university level has not materialised, leaving SFI and AISA to navigate the political landscape largely on their own. Their focus is on “the emancipation of all, rather than merely aligning along identity lines”.

Mondal stressed the urgency of their collaboration: “We live in times of fascism, with a Hindutva, Brahminical, patriarchal party in power. All sections of society—students, the working class, and farmers—are under attack. Anyone opposing fascism is welcome in our alliance. We had hoped to include NSUI, as they too are battling ABVP, but ultimately only the two left parties united. This historic alliance, despite our ideological differences, is vital against a powerful opponent pushing to privatise DU and make education inaccessible.”

In sharp contrast to the AISA-SFI alliance, the Ambedkar Student Association (ASA), formed in 2022 and contesting for the first time, has chosen an independent path. Vice president candidate, Banashree Das, expressed pride in representing north-eastern Dalit women, stating: “Only us, Dalits, can understand our struggles. They will make promises for us in their manifestos, but if they haven’t faced the struggles we have, they cannot help us very effectively.”

NEP at the heart of discourse

As student groups fight it out, key student issues have become focal points, with candidates across the board hoping the DUSU elections can provide real solutions rather than just campaign rhetoric. The National Education Policy (NEP) is at the heart of the discourse, with candidates taking strong stances. ABVP’s Karanwal defended the policy, stating: “The current NEP is much more student-oriented, focussing on skill enhancement and value addition. The previous version felt more like propaganda.” She argued that its balance of theoretical and practical skills is crucial for addressing the high unemployment among graduates.

In contrast, NSUI and AISA-SFI view the NEP as a move towards privatisation. Anamika critiqued the policy: “Since DU implemented the NEP in 2022, the university is gradually getting privatised. Fees are increasing every year, making it exclusive for students from marginalised backgrounds.” Both organisations are calling for scrapping the National Testing Agency and Common University Entrance Test and reinstating DU entrance exams.

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The rising cost of education presents another challenge. NSUI’s Chaudhary remarked, “Middle-class students come to DU expecting affordable education, but the rampantly rising fees make it resemble a private university.” The ABVP and NSUI propose a “one course, one fee” policy to standardise course fees across colleges, while the Left alliance seeks to end yearly fee hikes and roll back increased fees. All three contenders have called for expanded scholarships and financial aid programmes, particularly for SC/ST/OBC students.

As the elections draw close, key issues such as caste, gender representation, and academic policies dominate discussions. The DUSU elections serve as a microcosm of India’s broader political dynamics, revealing a wide array of pressing issues that often go unaddressed. Problems faced by queer students, safety on campus, and the lack of infrastructure for students with disabilities, among others, remain largely outside mainstream discourse. Further, the potential for low voter turnout—only about 42 per cent voted last year—along with apathy among first-time voters, could significantly influence the election results.