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Delhi University DUSU Campaign Ends Amid Digital and Ground Rivalries
Delhi University’s student election campaign ended on Wednesday.
Students will vote for the DUSU representatives on September 18.
Campaigners used both old methods, such as pamphlets and crowds, and new methods, such as videos and social media.
ABVP made a fast-paced campaign video for its candidates.
NSUI shared a video of candidate Vijay Shankar Meena’s parents asking students to support him.
The Left alliance talked about expensive rooms, more university hostels and rent rules.
It also questioned why students at 22 women’s colleges cannot vote in the central DUSU election.
University officials ordered extra security and night patrols around the election.
DUSU campaigning ended Wednesday ahead of voting scheduled for September 18.
ABVP promoted its candidates through a music video featuring flash mobs, drone shots and rap.
NSUI highlighted presidential candidate Vijay Shankar Meena’s parents and his more than 88,000 Instagram followers.
The AISA-SFI alliance focused on rent, hostels, women’s voting rights and alleged campaign intimidation.
Housing and safety featured across manifestos, while DU ordered heightened security and night patrols through September 18.
- Who
- Delhi University student groups, including ABVP, NSUI, the AISA-SFI alliance, ASAP and independent candidates, are contesting the DUSU election.
- What
- The final hours of campaigning featured both traditional outreach and digital campaigns ahead of the DUSU vote.
- Where
- The campaign took place across Delhi University colleges, including outside the Faculty of Law and at Rajdhani College.
- When
- Campaigning ended Wednesday; voting is scheduled for September 18, with night patrols ordered until then.
- Why
- Groups are seeking student votes while addressing concerns about housing, rent, safety, representation and campus politics.
Established Panels and Digital Campaigners
Left Alliance and Issue-Focused Campaigners
Campaign strategy
Established Panels and Digital Campaigners
ABVP and NSUI used videos, emotional narratives, social-media reach and large-scale visual campaigning to appeal to students.
Left Alliance and Issue-Focused Campaigners
The AISA-SFI alliance said traditional class-to-class and on-ground engagement remained central, even as it acknowledged the growing influence of digital media.
Meaning of online support
Established Panels and Digital Campaigners
NSUI said social media creates an authentic connection with a more vocal and questioning Gen Z electorate, citing Vijay Shankar Meena’s follower count.
Left Alliance and Issue-Focused Campaigners
The Left alliance said online conversations could differ from classroom and campus realities, where money, muscle and caste-based campaigning still influence the election.
Representation and voting rights
Established Panels and Digital Campaigners
NSUI presented an Adivasi candidate for president, while other major contenders did not publicly raise the issue of women’s colleges being excluded from central voting, according to the article.
Left Alliance and Issue-Focused Campaigners
The Left alliance questioned the exclusion of students from 22 women’s colleges and argued that symbolic representation does not replace changing campus power structures.
Student priorities
Established Panels and Digital Campaigners
ABVP, NSUI, AISA-SFI and ASAP all included housing or safety-related proposals, though their specific remedies differed.
Left Alliance and Issue-Focused Campaigners
The Left alliance emphasized rent regulation, university-run hostels and questions about why more hostels had not been built.
Key facts
- Election body
- Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU)
- Campaign end
- Wednesday
- Voting date
- September 18
- ABVP presidential candidate
- Yash Dabas
- NSUI presidential candidate
- Vijay Shankar Meena
- Social-media reach
- NSUI said Meena had more than 88,000 Instagram followers
- Security measures
- Colleges were directed to maintain tight security and conduct night patrols until September 18
- Women’s colleges excluded
- The Left alliance said students from 22 women’s colleges were excluded from central DUSU voting
Quotes
Vijay Shankar Meena’s father
Father of NSUI presidential candidate Vijay Shankar Meena
“Students will tell us, ‘we saw your reel, we agree with your fight’. But on the ground, money and muscle remain brazen. They walk into colleges and chant their caste names instead of discussing policy. We faced targeted intimidation every single day of this campaign… including a violent attack on our activist Stanzin at Sri Aurobindo College on September 3.”
indianexpress.com
“Up to now he was my son, but the moment he stepped into this election, he became the son of the sarv samaj (entire society),”
indianexpress.com
Maheshmurti Leni S Jadhav
Joint Secretary of the AICC research department and DUSU NSUI panel in-charge
“Look at Vijay Meena’s Instagram… he has crossed over 88,000 followers, stretching far beyond DU to across the country and even overseas,”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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