DUSU Election Results 2025 LIVE Updates: ABVP wins 3 seats, including president; NSUI victorious in one

After 16 rounds of counting, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is leading in three key posts — Aryan Mann is leading the Presidential race with 21,854 votes, Kunal Chaudhary in the Secretary race with 18,506 votes, and Deepika Jha in the Joint Secretary post with 16,501 votes. The Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), meanwhile, is ahead in the Vice-President’s post with 22,770 votes.

Following eight rounds of vote counting, ABVP is leading in three key DUSU posts.

ABVP

NSUI

Counting of votes for the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections began on Friday morning, officials said.

A 39.45 per cent turnout was recorded during the polling on Thursday. This year's turnout saw a small increase over last year's 39.45 per cent.

Polling was held in two shifts -- from 8.30 am to 1 pm for day classes and from 3 pm to 7.30 pm for evening classes.

The contest has largely been between the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Congress-backed National Students' Union of India (NSUI).

The NSUI has fielded Joslyn Nandita Choudhary, a postgraduate student of Buddhist Studies, and the ABVP has fielded Aryan Maan from the Department of Library Science for the president's post.

This year, there was a visible change in the campaigning for the DUSU polls. For the first time in years, the walls of the university's colleges and hostels remained free of posters and graffiti as the authorities strictly enforced anti-defacement rules under the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines.

Indian politics has witnessed many former Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) leaders–particularly union presidents–rise to high ministerial positions. This holds true for both the BJP and the Congress. As voting for the DUSU elections begins on Thursday, here is a look at its illustrious political past.

* Arun Jaitley, former finance minister

The late Arun Jaitley fondly remembered his days at Delhi University even when he was a minister. An Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) candidate, Jaitley was the DUSU president during a pivotal phase in Indian politics. This was the 1974-75 period, when the JP movement against the Indira Gandhi government was at its peak. When Jayaprakash Narayan landed in Delhi for the first time after agreeing to lead the student movement in Bihar, it was Jaitley from Delhi University and Anand Kumar from Jawaharlal Nehru University with their friends and followers who received him. When the Emergency was imposed, Jaitley was rounded up and sent to jail. After his student life, Jaitley stayed active in the BJP.

* Vijay Goel, former Union minister

Vijay Goel, Jaitley’s junior at the ABVP, went on to make a name for himself in politics, particularly in Vajpayee’s time. Goel gained fame at the university when the Emergency was clamped. Jaitley would recall to reporters that when he and some of his friends were arrested, Goel evaded arrest and went underground for some months, protesting against the Emergency.

* Ajay Maken, former Union minister

Congress’s Ajay Maken is one of the most notable DU alumni who became DUSU president and went on to become active in national politics, becoming a Union minister. Though no longer in the limelight, Maken, who studied at Hansraj College, was an achiever par excellence in his younger days.

He was elected DUSU president in 1985, when he was just 21. He became an MLA at 29 and a parliamentary secretary to then Delhi CM Dikshit at just 34.

After last year’s record low turnout, voting for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections on Thursday showed a modest recovery.

Of the 1.53 lakh registered voters, 60,272 students cast their ballots, pushing this year’s turnout to 39.36%. The figure marks a small rise from 2024’s 35.2%, but still falls short of the 42% recorded in 2023.

The overall picture was mixed.

At Kirori Mal College, the turnout stood at a mere 32%. Principal Dinesh Khattar said, “The college has successfully conducted polling and the campus is clean… no defacement or waste lying around.”

At Ramjas College, the turnout was slightly higher, at 37.52%. “Voting has been successfully held at seven booths,” said Principal Ajay Arora.

Miranda House saw over 2,500 students voting by the end of the first phase.