Because he won the vice-president’s post by a huge margin, but because he did so after breaking away from Congress-affiliated NSUI , the organisation with which he had been associated for long, new Delhi: Deepanshu Shokeen’s victory as an Independent has emerged as the most striking story of this year’s Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) election — not just.
At 30,615, Shokeen secured the highest number of votes among all central panel candidates and won by 13,705 votes.
Analysts said his strong support base among Jat students, and beyond the community, helped him build a distinct identity outside the established ABVP-NSUI contest. His high-visibility campaign, including his decision to remain barefoot while seeking justice for students killed in the Satya Niketan building collapse, further strengthened that independent identity.
Compared with 2025, the AISA-SFI alliance’s performance was virtually unchanged in the presidential race, with Ananya Raturi polling 5,377 votes against 5,385 last year, but its tally fell in the other three contests — from 4,163 to 2,383 for vice-president, 9,535 to 8,734 for secretary, and 8,425 to 5,837 for joint secretary. Earlier reporting noted: Shokeen won the DUSU vice-president post with 30,615 votes, defeating his closest rival, Ishu Maurya of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), by a margin of 13,705 votes.
Sidestepping questions on the split, Shokeen said, “Irrespective of who I represent, I am going to focus on students’ issues. The major focus should be on who can address students’ issues and whom students believe in, not which party or community they come from. The results also raise questions about the Left alliance’s ability to convert its political mobilisation into votes. This came despite the alliance’s prominent participation in the CJP mobilisation and its campaign around issues such as student housing, examinations and accountability.
Earlier reporting noted: DUSU VP Deepanshu Shokeen: Bus conductor’s son who fought independently after NSUI snub Deepanshu Shokeen, new vice-president of Delhi University Students Union Earlier reporting noted: NEW DELHI: For newly elected Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) vice-president Deepanshu Shokeen, the election campaign was as much about raising students’ issues as it was about contesting independently after he was denied an NSUI ticket.