Archive · 21 Sep 2026
Ticket Dispute Leaves NSUI Shut Out of DUSU Panel
Delhi University students recently voted for their student union leaders.
The Congress-backed NSUI group did not win any of the four main positions.
The ABVP won three positions, and Deepanshu Shokeen won vice-president as an independent.
Shokeen had earlier sought an NSUI ticket but later contested independently.
He said unclear decisions and arguments inside NSUI hurt the campaign.
He also said Kanhaiya Kumar, who is responsible for NSUI, should take responsibility.
Reports said other candidates also rebelled after changes were made to the party’s tickets.
A person supporting Kanhaiya Kumar said outside pressure and caste-based calculations also affect these elections.
Congress leaders are now seeking explanations for the defeat.
NSUI won none of the four central-panel posts in the DUSU election, its first complete defeat since 2015.
ABVP won the president, secretary and joint secretary positions, while independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen won vice-president with 30,615 votes.
Shokeen said NSUI in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar should accept responsibility and blamed internal politics, unclear assurances and poor ticket management.
Reports said Shokeen was dropped from the NSUI panel after seeking the vice-president’s post, while the party replaced Vishesh Yadav with Gopal Chaudhary for joint secretary.
Congress leaders reportedly sought an explanation, while a person close to Kanhaiya Kumar blamed caste-based pressures and informal candidate-selection networks for influencing DUSU contests.
- Who
- NSUI, ABVP, independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen, Kanhaiya Kumar and other DUSU candidates were involved.
- What
- NSUI lost all four central-panel posts, prompting criticism of its ticket distribution and internal management.
- When
- The election was recently concluded, and Shokeen made his comments on Monday.
- Where
- The election was held at Delhi University in New Delhi.
- Why
- Shokeen attributed the defeat to internal politics, unclear candidate assurances, weak ground-level assessment and poor ticket management; a Kanhaiya Kumar supporter also cited caste-based and senior-level pressures.
Shokeen’s Criticism
Kanhaiya Kumar Supporter’s Defense
Responsibility for the defeat
Shokeen’s Criticism
Shokeen said Kanhaiya Kumar, as NSUI in-charge, should have assessed candidates and ground conditions and should accept responsibility.
Kanhaiya Kumar Supporter’s Defense
A leader close to Kanhaiya Kumar said the election is influenced by senior figures, caste-based calculations and regional lobbies, rather than being controlled solely by NSUI managers.
Ticket distribution
Shokeen’s Criticism
Shokeen said candidates received unclear assurances, internal politics affected decisions and three independent candidates with NSUI backgrounds eventually contested.
Kanhaiya Kumar Supporter’s Defense
The Kanhaiya-aligned leader acknowledged that senior leaders failed to accommodate rebel candidates but argued that NSUI did not yield to informal caste and regional pressure.
Reason for the result
Shokeen’s Criticism
Shokeen and the reports emphasized that candidate changes and a divided campaign turned a potentially competitive election into a defeat.
Kanhaiya Kumar Supporter’s Defense
NSUI has alleged election rigging in the joint secretary contest, while the Kanhaiya-aligned account emphasized long-standing election networks and candidate-selection pressures.
- Election body
- Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU)
- NSUI result
- No wins among the four central-panel posts
- Historical significance
- NSUI’s first complete central-panel defeat since 2015
- ABVP result
- Won president, secretary and joint secretary
- Vice-president
- Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen
- Shokeen’s vote total
- 30,615 votes
- Congress response
- KC Venugopal reportedly called an emergency meeting, and Kanhaiya Kumar was asked for an explanation
