Archive · 29 Sep 2026
Rahul Gandhi Questions NSUI Leadership After DUSU Election Defeat
Rahul Gandhi reviewed the student election results with NSUI leaders.
NSUI is the student wing linked to the Congress party.
He wanted to know why some students who wanted tickets were not chosen.
One of them, Deepanshu Shokeen, ran as an Independent and won the vice-president’s position.
NSUI’s candidate for that post finished third.
Gandhi also questioned how much NSUI leaders campaigned on the Delhi University campus.
The ABVP won three of the four main positions.
Gandhi asked NSUI to become more active on campuses and listen more closely to students.
Rahul Gandhi questioned NSUI leaders over candidate selection and campaign performance in the DUSU elections.
He asked why Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen was not given the vice-presidential ticket.
Shokeen won the vice-president’s post with 30,615 votes, ahead of ABVP’s Ishu Maurya.
The ABVP won three of the four DUSU central-panel posts, while NSUI won none.
Gandhi called for stronger campus organisation and greater engagement with students’ concerns.
- Who
- Rahul Gandhi, NSUI leaders Kanhaiya Kumar and Vinod Jakhar, and Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal.
- What
- Gandhi questioned NSUI’s candidate choices, campaign presence and performance after the DUSU elections.
- When
- Monday; the article does not specify the date.
- Where
- Delhi University and a review meeting involving NSUI leadership.
- Why
- To examine NSUI’s election defeat and strengthen its campus organisation and student outreach.
NSUI Leadership’s Explanation
Rahul Gandhi’s Criticism
Deepanshu Shokeen’s candidacy
NSUI Leadership’s Explanation
Kanhaiya Kumar was reported to have said that Shokeen had been offered the presidential ticket, but wanted to contest for vice-president.
Rahul Gandhi’s Criticism
Rahul Gandhi questioned why NSUI did not give Shokeen the vice-presidential position he sought, especially since he later won it as an Independent.
Candidate selection
NSUI Leadership’s Explanation
NSUI selected Vir Chatrath for vice-president; sources said Gandhi questioned the choice because Chatrath had joined Delhi University only months before the election.
Rahul Gandhi’s Criticism
Gandhi argued that NSUI should have considered stronger or more suitable candidates, including Vishesh Yadav for another post.
Campaign and organisation
NSUI Leadership’s Explanation
The meeting reviewed Kanhaiya Kumar’s handling of NSUI and his limited presence on campus during the campaign.
Rahul Gandhi’s Criticism
Gandhi said NSUI needed a stronger campus presence and more engagement with students’ concerns after failing to win a central-panel post.
- Election body
- Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU)
- Independent winner
- Deepanshu Shokeen won the vice-president’s post with 30,615 votes.
- Runner-up
- ABVP candidate Ishu Maurya received 16,910 votes.
- NSUI result
- NSUI candidate Vir Chatrath finished third with 4,313 votes.
- Panel result
- The ABVP won three of the four central-panel posts.
- Leadership role
- Kanhaiya Kumar has been the AICC in-charge of NSUI since July 2023.
- Notable result
- Shokeen became the first Independent elected to the central panel in 17 years.