AISA Aims to Challenge ABVP and NSUI in Upcoming Delhi University Student Elections
The All India Students’ Association (AISA) has stepped up its campaign across Delhi University's North Campus ahead of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, seeking to convert momentum from the recent Jantar Mantar protests into electoral gains. Voting for the central panel will take place on September 18, with counting scheduled for the following day.
Campaigning in classrooms and colleges across the university has begun, with the Jantar Mantar demonstration emerging as a central point of debate. Student groups are actively drawing attention to which outfits participated in the agitation and which stayed away. While the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) joined the protest following violence against students, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) did not participate.
As part of its month-long nationwide campaign titled 'GenZ Rising', AISA held a victory march on the North Campus earlier this month. Neha, a prominent face during the Jantar Mantar agitation, addressed the gathering. Anjali, AISA’s Delhi University secretary, stated that the organisation is using the protest to underline its stand on student issues, adding that students on campus have become noticeably more engaged with university politics.
For years, DUSU has remained a contest dominated by the ABVP and the NSUI. The ABVP currently holds three posts on the central panel, while the NSUI holds one. In the previous election, an alliance between AISA and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) finished third but failed to secure any seats.
AISA and SFI are likely to form an alliance again this year, though formal discussions are still pending. SFI president Adarsh M. Saji said the group intends to raise issues including the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), hostel availability, and curriculum changes, alongside expanding social media outreach.
The contest will also feature the Aam Aadmi Party’s relaunched student wing, the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP). Eeshna Gupta, co-in-charge of ASAP Delhi, confirmed the organisation will contest, stating that student concerns will take precedence over traditional money and muscle power.
The upcoming election will be the second conducted under stricter university guidelines introduced to curb excessive campaign displays and spending.
