ABVP bags all 4 top posts in DUSU polls for 2nd consecutive year

New Delhi, Sep 12 (PTI) BJP’s student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad today swept Delhi University Students’ Union polls, retaining all four top posts for the second consecutive year defeating Congress-backed NSUI while AAP’s CYSS finished third in the vote count in its debut.

The ABVP bagged the posts of president, vice-president, secretary and joint secretary defeating National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) candidates with a margin of over 4,500 votes each in the fiercely fought contest.

Candidates from Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), the students wing of ruling AAP in the capital, which made its debut at the campus polls this year, could not open its account and were at the third position as per the overall vote count.

The ABVP had bagged all four top posts of DUSU last year also.

ABVP’s Satender Awana and Sunny Dedha were elected president and vice president of DUSU respectively. Anjali Rana won the post of Secretary and Chhattarpal Yadav was elected joint secretary.

Awana polled 20,439 votes defeating Pradeep Vijayran of NSUI who polled 14,112 votes. Dedha, a law student, defeated CYSS candidate Garima Rana by a margin of 7,570 votes.

While Rana defeated NSUI’s Amit Sehrawat to win the post of Secretary, Yadav bagged the Joint Secretary’s position defeating NSUI’s Deepak Choudhary.

The CYSS candidates were at the third position for the post of president, secretary and joint secretary while its nominee was in the second for the Vice President’s post.

Union Minister and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who was DUSU president in 1974, congratulated ABVP on its victory in the prestigious polls.

“Congratulations to ABVP & Students of Delhi University on winning the DUSU elections & making a clean sweep by winning all the four seats,” he tweeted.

BJP national President Amit Shah also congratulated the ABVP candidates. “Heartiest Congratulations to all Parishad karyakartas on clean sweep in DUSU Polls. A victory of ideology #ABVPRocks,” he tweeted.

The election held yesterday saw a turnout of over 43 per cent. A total of 1,35,298 students were eligible to exercise their franchise.

The issues that topped the high-voltage campaign included Choice Based Credit System (CBCS), Room Rent Control Act, accommodation for all, opening of new colleges and infrastructure development.

Celebrations broke out with bursting of crackers and loud cheering at the counting venue in Kingsway camp as the results were announced. The ABVP supporters lifted their candidates on shoulders and posed for pictures flashing the victory sign.

Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken, who himself was a DUSU President in 1985, also congratulated ABVP.

“Congratulations to ABVP for winning DUSU Wish the team a great learning experience as DUSU office-bearers to become great leaders of future!,” he tweeted.

Maintaining that it was the party’s debut attempt at DUSU polls, CYSS said it will expand its cadre base in the university as well as other universities of India.

“The 2015 election was the debut of CYSS in student elections. Our brand of student politics without unaccounted money and muscle power has helped us secure an honourable vote percentage in our maiden attempt. CYSS will now expand its cadre in DU as well as other universities of India,” the party said in a statement.

DUSU is the representative body of the students from most colleges and faculties of the varsity. The polls have been keenly contested over decades and are seen as a stepping stone to party politics.

There were nine candidates for the post of President, eight each for the post of Vice-President and Joint Secretary and 10 nominees for the post of Secretary.

Delhi BJP’s Vijender Gupta said that the victory of ABVP has proved that youth of Delhi have totally rejected AAP.

“Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party should learn a lesson from these election results and start working for the people,” he said.

The NSUI, on its part said, the voting trends have confirmed that CYSS has cut into its vote-share and helped the ABVP secure the mandate.

“It is evident from this that AAP is dividing the votes to help RSS and BJP in furthering their agenda. The NSUI remains undeterred and will continue striving for betterment of student community,” the NSUI said in a statement.

PTI