Defenders, Porsches, chai and Gen Z: Delhi University's battle beyond ABVP vs NSUI

Two days before voting for DUSU 2026, politics is taking centre stage at Delhi University. From big cars to flamboyant slogans, the campus is buzzing with election activity as the young brigade makes its presence felt. Gen Z is at the centre of it all, demanding greater accountability and solutions to long-standing issues. How much has Delhi University's election changed? Read our report.

In Short

• Around 2.75 lakh students will vote on September 18 for four posts
• ABVP and NSUI lead, while independents and AISA-SFI seek attention
• Students discussed AI-driven learning, jobs and degrees in a changing economy

At Delhi University, September has a sound of its own. Slogans spill out of college gates, campaigners move through hostel corridors looking for just "one more vote", and chai-sutta stalls become impromptu political corners. Handwritten posters cover walls, students gather in groups to debate candidates, and quietly, a Porsche, Bentley, Defender or Ferrari turns heads on campus.

For a university spread across 91 colleges, of which 47 hold direct elections while the rest choose their candidates internally, 16 faculties and 86 departments, and home to more than 7 lakh students, the DUSU election is more than an ordinary contest for four central posts.

For a few weeks every year, campus politics moves to the centre of student life.

This year, around 2.75 lakh students are eligible to vote in the DUSU elections. Voting is scheduled for September 18, with counting on September 19. A total of 20 candidates remain in the final contest; 7 candidates for president, 5 for vice-president, 4 for secretary and 4 for joint secretary.

The India Today team walked through the campus to see what this election looks like beyond the posters, slogans and familiar names.

JNU presents a very different picture of student politics. Elections may not be around the corner there, but the contrast with the flamboyance of DUSU campaigning is hard to miss. The big cars, elaborate appearances and visual spectacle seen across Delhi University are far less conspicuous at JNU.

It's a reminder that student politics can look very different even within the same city. Ananya Ratauri, the AISA-SFI joint alliance candidate, told India Today that the contrast is also about priorities.

“The students of DU need their basic needs fulfilled. They do not need lavish cars or big appearances. No one from ABVP or NSUI has been able to solve the concerns of students in DU. We shall oppose elitism and work with every student who wants a change.”

For some DU students, however, the election is less about the spectacle and more about what needs to change on campus. One student, who requested anonymity, said the university needs to keep pace with new-age learning and technology.

“DU needs many revamps, including in AI and new-age learning. BSc courses are no longer confined to labs and what was written in books decades ago. AI-integrated curricula are a must if we want to compete further. Elections will come and go, but the core issues must be addressed first, without any politics.”

WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES AND WHY IT MATTERS

The election comes soon after the 36-day student protest at Jantar Mantar over exam irregularities and education reforms. Now, many of those concerns have made their way into the campus campaign. ABVP’s Riya Chhabri, who is contesting for secretary, is focusing on women’s safety, better campus facilities and hostels.

ABVP has fielded four candidates for the central panel: Yash Dabas for president, Ishu Maurya for vice-president, Riya Chhabri for secretary and Lakshyaraj Singh for joint secretary.

NSUI’s central panel includes Vijay Shankar Meena for president, Vir Chatrath for vice-president, Namrata Chaudhary for secretary and Gopal Choudhary for joint secretary.

Dabas' face appears on campaign material across the university. So does that of Deepanshu Shokeen, the independent vice-presidential candidate, whose name has become one of the more visible independent faces of this election.

Shokeen is not alone. The final list has candidates outside the two principal organisations, including those backed by the AISA-SFI alliance and independent candidates.

That matters because DUSU has traditionally been a contest in which ABVP and NSUI have carried much of the political weight. This year, the independent candidates are trying to turn some of that attention towards themselves.

THE ELECTION DOESN'T STOP AT THE COLLEGE GATE

The DUSU election spills well beyond the college gates. In the lanes around North Campus, from Hansraj, Hindu, Ramjas and Kirori Mal to Kamla Nagar and Satya Niketan, campaigners follow students into the neighbourhoods where they eat, hang out and spend their evenings.

The election is not confined to posters on college walls and templates in the air and in hands; it finds its way into tea stalls, food joints and everyday conversations.

Beyond the campaign trail, however, students are also carrying concerns from their everyday lives into the election. At Satya Niketan, the recent building collapse has left many students uneasy, while in Kamla Nagar, a quick tea break can turn into a political debate.

Inside the colleges, campaigners are also making a particular push for first-year students, who are voting in their first DUSU election. “The target of most candidates remains to bring first-year students into their court,” says Abhinav, 18, a second-year BA Political Science student.

And then there are the familiar campaign incentives. Think pizza, burgers, chole bhature and samosas, along with promises of attendance.

Aastha Kalra, 19, a second-year Economics student, says she was once promised a week’s attendance in exchange for voting for a candidate, but the promise was never fulfilled. “This time I won’t cast my vote where I have to wait for two hours and get nothing,” she says.

For some students, politics is about ideology. For others, it is about the person who helped them with a problem. For some, it is about attendance. For others, it is simply about being seen.

OLD QUESTION OF SAFETY, NEW QUESTION OF HOUSING

On September 6, a five-storey PG building in Satya Niketan collapsed, killing seven people and injuring five, most of them students. The incident brought housing and safety back into the DUSU campaign.

DU's hostel capacity remains limited, with a recent report citing university data saying 57 of 77 colleges covered had no hostel and around 7,000 beds were available for more than 70,000 students entering the university each year.

ABVP has raised housing and safety on which the RSS youth wing has been working for the past several years, remains one of her key concerns. Speaking to India Today in a free-wheeling conversation, the ABVP secretary candidate said that the AISA-SFI alliance has called for more hostels and regulation of PGs, while NSUI has promised hostel facilities in every college and cheaper Metro passes.

Safety remains another persistent concern. Delhi Police recorded 1,901 rape cases in 2025, down from 2,076 in 2024 and 2,141 in 2023. The issue has again come into focus after a teenager was allegedly gang-raped inside a moving sleeper bus travelling from Greater Noida towards Delhi and later abandoned near Kashmere Gate.

The NHRC has sought reports from the police in Delhi, Gautam Buddh Nagar and Mainpuri. The bus reportedly travelled nearly 47 km without being stopped at a police checkpoint and had multiple traffic challans.

For DU students, housing and safety are therefore not just campaign promises. They are part of the everyday reality of getting to campus, finding a place to live and making the journey home.

For a university whose students rely on Delhi’s buses, Metro stations, PG lanes and roads every day, this is more than a law-and-order issue. It is a student issue.

- Ends