Vote Counting Underway for Four Key Posts with 20 Candidates

Voting Turnout and Electronic Voting Machine Deployment

Polling for the 2026 student union elections wrapped up on Friday following a two-phase voting process spread across 52 polling centres within Delhi University. Election officials recorded a total voter turnout of 40.46 per cent, marking the highest participation rate seen in the last three years compared to the 39.5 per cent turnout recorded last year. The first phase of voting ran from 8:30 am to 1 pm, while the second phase catered to evening students from 3 pm to 7:30 pm. Authorities arranged a total of 1,000 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the exercise, deploying 960 units for actual voting while keeping 40 units in reserve.

Candidate Lineup and Major Contesting Organizations

A total of 20 candidates representing major student organisations entered the electoral fray, including the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), and an alliance formed by the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI). The final provisional candidate list featured seven candidates contesting the post of President, five running for Vice-President, four for Secretary, and four for Joint Secretary. The primary contest is shaping up between ABVP and NSUI. ABVP has put forward Yash Dabas for President and Ishu Maurya for Vice-President, while NSUI has nominated Vijay Shankar Meena for President and Veer Chatrath for Vice-President. Acknowledging the start of counting, NSUI presidential candidate Vijay Shankar Meena posted on X, “Today at 8:30 PM, the counting will begin. I am fully confident that the way you all have shown me love, the decision will be in my favour.”

College-Level Results and Early Claims

Ahead of the central results, ABVP announced victories in multiple college-level student union elections across the university. The organisation reported winning all four key posts at Aditi Mahavidyalaya, Dr BR Ambedkar College, Bharati College, Shivaji College, and Sri Aurobindo College (Morning)—where its panel secured a clean 6-0 sweep. Additionally, ABVP stated its candidates claimed the offices of President, Vice-President, and Secretary at Keshav Mahavidyalaya; the posts of President, Secretary, and both Central Councillor positions at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College; and the roles of President, Secretary, Central Councillor, and Internal Complaints Committee representative at Ramjas College.

Delhi High Court Orders and Restrictions

The vote counting and announcement unfold under strict judicial oversight following a ruling by the Delhi High Court. A bench headed by Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued an order prohibiting any victory processions following the declaration of the DUSU election results. According to the court directive, the ban applies strictly to public roads as well as the university campus and residential hostels. Furthermore, the bench issued notices to all student organisations and all 140 candidates participating in the elections, instructing them to explain why collective electoral damages should not be imposed for alleged violations of established election norms. The court instructed Delhi Police and Delhi University authorities to enforce strict preventive measures to ensure total compliance with the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations and prior judicial directives.