DUSU: NSUI dethrones ABVP; Congress celebrates, credits victory to Rahul Gandhi's US speech

Congress-backed National Students Union of India (NSUI) on Wednesday made a comeback in the Delhi University Students Union, bagging two of the four crucial DUSU posts including that of the president.

Sonia Gandhi meets winning candidates from NSUI outside her residence,

RSS-affiliated Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which has a stronghold in DUSU, bagged two seats, that of the joint secretary and the general secretary.

NSUI’s Rocky Tusheed won the president’s post by a margin of 1,590 votes defeating Rajat Chaudhary, while the party’s Kunal Sehrawat defeated ABVP candidate Paarth Rana by 175 votes.

ABVP’s Mahamedha Nagar defeated NSUI’s Minakshi Meena by 2,624 votes to win the post of the secretary, while party’s joint secretary candidate Uma Shankar defeated NSUI’s Avinash Yadav by 342 votes.

A total of 43 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the DUSU elections held on Tuesday.

Last year, the ABVP bagged three posts while the NSUI won the post of joint secretary. 

Read | DUSU Election Results 2017: NSUI wins President, VP posts; ABVP bags Secretary, Jt. Secy seats

Rahul Gandhi effect 

Delhi Congress gave the credit of NSUI win to Congress Vice president Rahul Gandhi's speech at UC Berkeley in the United States. 

Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken said: "The students listened to the address of PM Narendra Modi on September 11 and Rahul Gandhi's speech on September 12 and reacted (through voting). 

Rahul Gandhi's speech clicked with the students and they did not like Modi's speech. The students were impressed with Rahul Gandhi's speech and voted for NSUI." Modi addressed a gathering of students on the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's Chicago address on Monday.

"The students made a definite comparison of the two speeches and students then voted for NSUI and Congress," Maken said.

Read | Delhi University Students' Union polls record 43 per cent turnout, results set to come today

Result tampering allegations 

Claiming that the DUSU results were tampered with the intervention of Centre and BJP, Maken said that Congress will move high court against it.

"NSUI had won three of the four seats, including the post of joint secretary. ABVP sought re-election for the post of joint secretary and soon its candidate was declared a winner. It was a well-planned exercise to defeat NSUI," Maken said at a press conference. NSUI has lodged a complaint with DUSU election office in this regard.

Maken alleged that the CCTV cameras were not working when the recounting of votes was done for the post of joint secretary.

He said that always DUSU elections have been held on Friday-Saturday so that the counting is done on Sunday and the classes are not disturbed. "The elections were smartly postponed for September 12, a day after the PM makes his speech. It was a conspiracy to take undue advantage in the elections. The students have rejected the speech of PM," Maken said.