As the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) election results rolled in on Friday, the mood on Delhi University’s North Campus was a vibrant tapestry of triumph and a singular defiance. The air, thick with anticipation all day, exploded into a roar of saffron as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) swept three out of four posts. The epicentre of this jubilation was the revered Swami Vivekananda statue at the Faculty of Arts, the traditional ground zero for DUSU victory celebrations.
As news of the ABVP’s dominant win spread, the crowd swelled around the statue. Saffron flags, held aloft by euphoric students, created a sea of orange against the blue sky. Dhol beats thundered, and chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “ABVP zindabad” resonated through the campus. On the statue’s platform, the victorious trio, President-elect Aryan Maan, Secretary Kunal Chaudhary, and Joint Secretary Deepika Jha stood with their arms raised, the garlands around their necks a symbol of their landslide victory.
But things quickly changed. Vice President-elect Rahul Jhansla, the only winner of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), showed up with his followers. Fuelled by their respective victories, the two groups fought for control of the symbolic platform, leading to a brief, tense standoff. For a brief instant, a fight between ideologies and loyalties appeared inevitable. However, in a display of responsible sportsmanship, the ABVP candidates lowered themselves from the platform and were lifted onto the shoulders of their applauding fans to make room for the NSUI camp.
Now, the cheers were for Jhansla, whose supporters celebrated his solitary win with equal fervour. Nikhil Yadav, a second-year B.Com student from Aurobindo College, underscored the sentiment within the NSUI ranks. “Rahul won on his personal rapport,” he stated confidently. “He’s been working tirelessly for the last two years. His victory is a testament to his own fan base, not just the party.”
Similar to what was happening at the Arts Faculty, the festivities went on at the nearby Campus Law Centre (CLC). Supporters of the ABVP celebrated their victory, but there was a small altercation between the two groups. A brief escalation of the long-standing rivalry resulted in verbal abuse being exchanged before security guards swiftly stepped in and brought peace back.
In spite of the happiness, there was a gloom of dissatisfaction in the NSUI camp. There were numerous claims of malpractice. The narrative of a rigged election was bolstered by Prabhat, a Ph.D. candidate from the Delhi School of Economics, who claimed that inks had been smudged on the ABVP presidential candidate’s ballot number in some EVMs. This conflicting tone, one of celebration and indictment emphasised the intense politics and high stakes that characterise DUSU elections, which are a microcosm of the broader political environment.
