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DU students’ union polls: Housing, fees, period leave take center stage ahead of September contest

The polls will be held on September 18, with results to be declared the next day.

Each party contesting the polls, slated for September 18, has positioned itself as the voice of everyday student concerns.

This year, the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) election is shaping up to be a contest over pressing student issues — from housing and campus infrastructure to menstrual leave, fee hikes, the National Education Policy’s fourth undergraduate year, and efforts to field candidates from marginalised communities for central posts.

Each party contesting the polls, slated for September 18, has positioned itself as the voice of everyday student concerns. The results will be declared the next day (September 19).

The Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), which broke a seven-year drought last year by winning the president and joint secretary posts, is foregrounding both campus welfare and gender equity.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Ravi Pandey, National Chairman of NSUI’s media department, said, “Our teams are actively engaging with students across North Campus and various colleges, sharing diaries that highlight our agenda on accommodation and housing, campus infrastructure, transportation, social justice, and other key student issues. With female students, we are prioritising crucial demands like 12 days of menstrual leave per semester. NSUI will also organise interactive programmes in colleges to directly listen to students, understand their concerns, and prepare a concrete roadmap for solutions.”

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is preparing to release its manifesto after consultations with students.

State secretary Saarthak Sharma said, “Basic issues that arise in campuses are hygiene in colleges. ABVP promised the U-Special (bus) and the fight to regulate the exorbitant fee hike, towards which we have worked in the past year. We will be presenting a list of promises that the ABVP has delivered soon.” Earlier this month, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced the return of the U-Special buses. It was once a popular transport option for students of the varsity, especially those living in far-flung villages on the outskirts.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s student wing, Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP), is contesting under a new name — a decade after its parent party launched its youth wing, the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS). While CYSS contested DU and Panjab University elections, it faded from Delhi’s student landscape until its reemergence this summer.

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Deepak Bansal, once a DUSU joint secretary in 2011 and an ABVP loyalist who joined CYSS in 2023, is steering the campaign. He said the organisation is committed to breaking the dominance of Jats and Gurjars in the four panel posts.

“This time at DUSU, we are trying to pitch an SC/ST candidate as one of the main four panel posts. No one fields a candidate from the marginalised community, but this year, ASAP will be changing that. We are taking registrations for nominations irrespective of caste or money. We see Rahul Gandhi coming to DU and speaking with the marginalised students, but how many times has NSUI fielded someone from the marginalised community? Additionally, when the ABVP came to power, it said it would provide a 50% concession on Metro passes, which never happened. We will be taking up this issue. There is also a signature campaign going on in the matter of fee hike in colleges.”
The All India Students’ Association (AISA) and Students’ Federation of India (SFI), which contested in an alliance last year, believe new restrictions could level the playing field.

AISA state secretary Abhigyan told The Indian Express, “After the Delhi High Court’s verdict against defacement last year, it is going to be a real advantage for us to see how ABVP is going to contest this election without splashing their name across the city. They will have to hit the ground, go from classroom to classroom and talk to students — that’s what AISA always did.”

He added, “We will also be taking up the introduction of the 4th year under the NEP and how the dilution of education is happening at DU by introducing Value Added Courses, which are of no importance to students. We have also started approaching every other party, except for the ABVP, to form an alliance. The main aim is to make sure the ABVP doesn’t win.”

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Last year, NSUI’s Ronak Khatri was elected president and Lokesh Choudhary joint secretary, while ABVP’s Mitravinda Karanwal and Bhanu Pratap Singh won secretary and vice-president posts, respectively. The counting of votes, however, was stayed by the Delhi High Court over allegations of large-scale defacement of sites across the city by poll candidates. Votes were allowed to be counted only two months after the September election.

This year, candidates for the four central posts have until 3 pm on September 10 to submit their nominations. Each submission must include a demand draft of Rs 500, an affidavit, and a bond of Rs 1 lakh — the latter has drawn flak from several student bodies.

Vidheesha Kuntamalla

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. Academic Freedom & Policy Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025) Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025) SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses. 4. Mental Health on Campuses In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025) Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025) 5. Delhi Schools These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read More

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