New Delhi, September 19, 2026 – Counting of votes for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections 2026 began on Saturday, September 19, amid tight security at the university’s North Campus.
Polling was held on Friday, September 18, recording a voter turnout of 40.46% — the highest in the last three years (compared with around 39.5% the previous year). Students voted to elect the four central panel posts: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Joint Secretary.
Key Candidates
The main contest is between the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), with the Left-backed AISA-SFI alliance and several Independent candidates also in the fray.
President: Yash Dabas (ABVP) vs Vijay Shankar Meena (NSUI); Ananya Raturi (AISA-SFI) among others.
Vice-President: Ishu Maurya (ABVP), Virr/Vir Chatrath (NSUI), and Independent Deepanshu Shokeen.
Secretary: Riya Chhawdi (ABVP) vs Namrata Chaudhary (NSUI).
Joint Secretary: Lakshya Raj Singh (ABVP), Gopal Choudhary (NSUI), and Independent/SCS Vishesh Yadav.
Early and Ongoing Trends
Counting has progressed through multiple rounds. Trends have fluctuated, particularly for the presidential post:
The race for President remains extremely close between NSUI’s Vijay Shankar Meena and ABVP’s Yash Dabas, with leads changing across rounds.
Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen has established a strong lead for Vice-President.
ABVP’s Riya Chhawdi is ahead in the contest for Secretary.
Independent/SCS candidate Vishesh Yadav is leading or closely contesting the Joint Secretary post.
Heavy security arrangements, including thousands of police and paramilitary personnel, are in place. The Delhi High Court has imposed restrictions on victory processions in connection with the elections.
Results for the central panel are expected to be finalised during the day as counting continues. College-level results in several institutions have already shown strong performances by ABVP in some campuses.
The DUSU elections are among the most closely watched student polls in the country and often reflect broader political currents among the youth.