Deepanshu Shokeen entered the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) race without the backing of a major student organisation. On Saturday, he walked out of the counting centre with more votes than any other candidate elected to the four member central panel, and a place in the DUSU history.
Shokeen won the vice-president’s post with 30,615 votes, defeating ABVP’s Ishu Maurya by 13,705 votes. His tally was the highest among the four central panel winners.
More significantly, he became the first Independent candidate to win the DUSU vice-president’s post, marking an unusual break from the dominance of established student organisations in the union’s central panel
For Shokeen, the victory is closely linked to the issues he carried through his campaign. Student safety, accommodation and the demand for accountability over the Satya Niketan incident remained central to his pitch.
Speaking to The Tribune after his victory Shokeen said, “My first priority will be to fight for students’ rights and demand justice for those who lost their lives in the Satya Niketan incident. The hardships I faced while campaigning on foot reminded me of the difficulties faced by the nearly 1.5 lakh students of Delhi University, and I will work to address their concerns and fight for their rights.”
The campaign itself reflected the contrast between Shokeen and the established election machinery. He spent much of the campaign moving around the university on foot and meeting students directly, while simultaneously raising concerns over accommodation and safety following the Satya Niketan tragedy.
His entry into the contest was also marked by a political setback that eventually became the starting point of his independent campaign.
Shokeen had sought an NSUI ticket, but after not getting the nomination, he decided to remain in the fray as an Independent rather than withdraw from the contest.
The decision paid off in the numbers. While ABVP’s Ishu Maurya secured 16,910 votes and NSUI’s Vir Chatrath got 4,313, Shokeen crossed the 30,000 mark, registering a sizeable lead over both candidates backed by major student organisations.
Shokeen’s victory has given this year’s DUSU panel a different complexion. While ABVP secured the president, secretary and joint secretary posts, the vice-president’s position went to a candidate who contested without the banner of a major student organisation.
Now, with the election campaign behind him, Shokeen faces the task of taking the concerns that helped shape his campaign, particularly student safety, affordable accommodation and student rights, from the streets and college campuses to the DUSU office.
Shokeen was offered NSUI’s president ticket: AICC official
A fresh claim has emerged over independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen’s decision to contest the DUSU elections independently, with an All-India Congress Committee (AICC) functionary saying he had been offered the NSUI ticket for the president’s post.
Amitabh Dubey, in-charge of research and monitoring at the All-India Congress Committee (AICC), in a post on X, said the claim that the NSUI had denied Shokeen a ticket was incorrect. According to Dubey, Shokeen was offered the presidential ticket, but he declined it. Subsequently, he decided to contest the vice-president’s post as an independent.
