Delhi University Student Union Polls: 39.78% Turnout, Sparks of Fraud Allegations and Heated Campus Politics

Counting for the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections got underway yesterday, with 43 electronic voting machines (EVMs) arriving at the tally centre just before 7 p.m. The university’s official data shows that barely 40 percent of the eligible students – 39.78 % to be precise – actually cast a ballot. A low turnout, but one that has already ignited a firestorm of accusations.

ABVP‑led President Aryan Maan didn’t mince words. He lashed out at the rival National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), alleging that the party handed out counterfeit college ID cards so its supporters could vote illegally. “We caught a student from LC‑2 with a fake ID that NSUI gave her,” Maan said, adding that the incident was just one of “hundreds” of similar cases.

He painted the whole episode as a classic case of “sore loser” behaviour, claiming the NSUI was trying to fabricate votes after losing the “4‑0” showdown in the campus poll. The ABVP, for its part, is rallying around its presidential hopeful Yash Dabas, who has promised safety audits of hostels, new girls’ hostels in every college and a helpline for students in rented accommodations.

“The Satya building collapse still haunts us,” Dabas told ANI, vowing that ABVP would keep pressing the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for the commissioner’s resignation. He remains confident that his bloc will win the four key posts up for grabs.

NSUI’s national president, Vinod Jakhar, fired back with a sweeping critique of the ruling BJP and its student‑wing, ABVP. “Students are voting against the BJP, the RSS and ABVP,” he declared, recalling the tragic Satya Niketan incident where dozens of students lost their lives in a building collapse he blames on “corruption and negligence.”

Jakhar accused the BJP of “throwing its full weight” into the election, alleging that party MLAs, mayors and MCD officials were present at the campus to influence the outcome. He also claimed that NSUI workers were being harassed, arrested and even assaulted by ABVP cadres during the polling.

Both sides have unveiled their slates: ABVP’s ticket lists Yash Dabas (president), Ishu Maurya (vice‑president), Riya Chhawadi (secretary) and Lakshya Raj Singh (joint‑secretary). NSUI counters with Vijay Shankar Meena (president), Vir Chatrath (vice‑president), Namrata Chaudhary (secretary) and Gopal Choudhary (joint‑secretary). Each camp is convinced it will sweep all four seats.

With the vote count still in progress, the atmosphere on campus remains tense. Students, faculty and administrators are watching closely, wondering whether the allegations of fake IDs and political meddling will tilt the final result or simply add another chapter to Delhi University’s long history of campus politics.