Congress Faces Hard Questions on Youth Outreach After NSUI's Disappointing DUSU Show

Rahul Gandhi has sought an explanation from NSUI leadership after the Congress student wing failed to win any of the four central-panel posts in the 2026 Delhi University Students’ Union election. Gandhi held a review meeting with NSUI in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar and national president Vinod Jakhar, with Congress organisation general secretary KC Venugopal also present, according to sources cited in the report.

During the meeting, Gandhi is learnt to have asked how NSUI lost the presidential contest despite being in a close race with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). ABVP’s Yash Dabas eventually won the presidency with 24,576 votes, defeating NSUI candidate Vijay Shankar Meena, who received 22,523 votes. The margin was 2,053 votes, underlining how closely contested the presidential race was.

Sources said Gandhi questioned Kumar and Jakhar about campaign management, candidate selection and the strategy adopted during the election. Venugopal is also learnt to have sought an explanation from Kumar over the outcome, particularly because Kumar had taken responsibility for the candidate-selection process. The meeting focused on why the final results differed from expectations within the organisation.

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The case of Deepanshu Shokeen was also discussed during the review. Shokeen, a former NSUI member, contested the vice-president’s post as an Independent after not receiving the organisation’s ticket and went on to win with 30,615 votes. He defeated ABVP’s Ishu Maurya, who polled 16,910 votes, while NSUI candidate Vir Chatrath received 4,313 votes.

The report said Gandhi questioned why Shokeen had not been accommodated by NSUI. Sources claimed the two leaders told him that the conditions put forward by Shokeen were not acceptable. Congress leader Amitabh Dubey, however, disputed the account, saying on X that Shokeen had been offered the presidential ticket but declined it before deciding to contest the vice-president’s post independently.

The DUSU results saw ABVP win the president, secretary and joint-secretary posts, while Shokeen secured the vice-president position. NSUI therefore ended the election without a central-panel victory. The setback comes as Congress has been seeking greater engagement with younger voters, including through Rahul Gandhi’s “Chhatron Ki Goonj” outreach. The review meeting is expected to prompt further discussion within the party on student politics, candidate selection and its organisational reach among young voters.

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