On November 25, after a two-month hiatus and an ongoing legal tussle over campus defacement, the results of the 2024 Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) election, the world’s largest student body election, were announced. For the first time in seven years, the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) clinched the posts of president and joint secretary.

For the past seven years, the majority of the posts, including that of the president, have been held by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). ABVP could retain only the posts of vice president and secretary. Whether this outcome will have an impact on the upcoming State Assembly election in Delhi, remains to be seen.

DUSU elections are not just a contest of ideologies but a microcosm of Indian politics. The combination of delayed results, legal disputes, and a split mandate has not only made this year’s results highly anticipated and placed candidates in the spotlight but also underscored the evolving dynamics of student politics at Delhi University, aligning with broader shifts in national-level politics.

More than 50,000 votes were cast for the four-member central panel, marking a voter turnout of 35.2 percent, the lowest in a decade. Despite over 1.5 lakh eligible voters, the declining participation reflects a growing apathy among the students.

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According to Saavy Gupta, the presidential candidate of the Left student alliance comprising the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the low voter turnout was due to the unsafe campus environment created by outsiders during the campaign. Her views were endorsed by the president-elect, Ronak Khatri, who said that hooliganism was one of the reasons students felt demotivated to come out and vote.

The preference for None of the Above or NOTA also emerged as a significant factor. Almost 13.2 per cent voted NOTA for the position of secretary. On average, around 10 per cent of votes for all posts went to the NOTA category. This rising share of NOTA perhaps highlights disillusionment with the current nature of campus politics and with candidates put up by student bodies.

Mitravinda Karanwal from ABVP, who won the post of secretary, told Frontline that the higher NOTA count is due to the passive-aggressive campaigning of the other student bodies. Gender representation continued to be a pressing issue. Karanwal was the only woman to win among the office bearers, that too by a narrow margin. Out of the 21 candidates who contested for DUSU’s central panel, only nine were women.

Cleaning up the campus

The results of the DUSU election, held on September 27, were expected to be announced the next day but were postponed after the Delhi High Court intervened to address the rampant defacement of public property during the campaign. While hearing a plea against the damage to public walls by DUSU candidates and student outfits, the court ordered a halt to the vote counting and directed the candidates to clean up the campus themselves. It held that the vote count would not proceed until the campus was restored to its original status.

Saavy Gupta spoke of the significance of the court’s decision: “The lack of cleanliness and littering has always been a very major issue and after the court’s interference, it came to the forefront,” she said.

A status report filed by Satyapal Singh, Chief Election Officer for the DUSU election, revealed that the university administration had constituted a ‘DUSU Elections Reform Committee’ to implement stricter adherence to the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations in future elections and introduce provisions for women’s reservation in the DUSU panel. The report also proposed appointing a nodal officer to protect the university’s exterior walls and prevent defacement throughout the year. The Lyngdoh Committee was formed by the Supreme Court in 2005 to recommend regulations for university elections.

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The election, despite its polarised character, has sparked conversations around alternative politics, student rights, and the pressing need for reforms. Khatri attributed his win to student dissatisfaction with the erstwhile “non-functioning” DUSU leadership. He pointed to the lack of basic amenities such as drinking water during the previous tenure and promised immediate action. “Students chose an alternative. The deciding factor for our win was our fight for basic amenities. People were saying we were doing politics over water, but we were just raising our voices,” Khatri told Frontline.

He also stressed the need for better infrastructure, including the installation of water coolers and ACs in colleges and a long-overdue plan to tackle the lack of university buses in the south campus.  Khatri’s plans extend beyond infrastructure to addressing safety issues on campus. “Girls have to walk through dimly lit roads. CCTV toh bhool hi jao jab street lights nahi hai, (Forget CCTVs; we do not even have street lights),” he said. He also said he would establish a DUSU legal team to support students facing violations of their rights, including those with issues related to faculty and staff.

Emphasising the importance of issue-based politics, Khatri said: “There is no role of religion or caste in student politics. Here all of us are equal and have similar demands for better academic systems and overall development. There are some who are trying to degrade the education system. In the coming months, we will raise this issue as well.”

AISA and SFI: The allies

Karanwal, the elected secretary, argued that despite the symbolic loss of ABVP’s presidency, their contribution to the union will focus on student-centric issues. “We will try to get more funds allocated for hostel construction and focus on bringing in doctors for basic healthcare, including gynaecologists and counsellors, to college campuses,” she said. 

The split verdict, with two seats each going to NSUI and ABVP, brings into question the decision-making ability of the panel. Both Karanwal and Khatri emphasised that it will be a functioning union. “It is not ‘two versus two’; it is more like ‘two plus two.’ It is my responsibility to ensure everyone is on the same page. If they are directed by their party to not work with us, then it is their decision. We will do our work,” said Khatri.

While not securing any seats on the panel, the first-ever alliance between AISA and SFI also made waves. “The results show that many students have put faith in the alternative politics of the left. They want a change from this muscle-money politics,” said Gupta. 

Gupta acknowledged the challenges they faced in mobilising students due to the changing demographic of Delhi University and the growing disillusionment with the electoral process. She called for reforms in the DUSU election process. “Mechanisms such as presidential debates and conducting elections in a more positive manner, where issues are the highlight and students can talk to their representatives, will increase student participation. We have to have this debate and discussion inside the university to bring about a change.” 

On NSUI’s win after a long break, Gupta told Frontline, “They are saying ‘Mohabbat ki dukaan’ has won, so it is very important now to hold them accountable as well because students have thought of them as an alternative to ABVP. RSS is coming to our campus every day. In Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, there are allegations against the principal for physical and mental harassment and for indulging in casteism openly: are they doing anything about these issues? I am hoping that DU students will hold those who are calling themselves change-bringers accountable.” 

The DUSU election has not only highlighted growing disillusionment with traditional student politics but also signalled a shift towards alternative political ideologies: NSUI’s victory, seen as a symbol of change, is also a test for student leaders. Can they rise above divisiveness and polarisation and usher in inclusivity, student rights and freedoms? The split verdict and the low voter turnout highlight the increasing disengagement of the students with the electoral process. As the candidates assume their roles, there is an apparent need for reviewing and adopting reforms to foster a more involved student electorate.

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