Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 19: In a significant boost to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students’ wing of the RSS, clinched three of the four top posts in the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections, highlighting strong support from Gen Z voters.
The voting took place on Thursday, coinciding with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s appeal to India’s Gen Z to safeguard the Constitution and fight alleged “vote theft.” Gandhi posted on X, “The country’s youth, the country’s students, the country’s Gen Z will save the Constitution, protect democracy, and stop vote theft. I will always stand with them.”
ABVP’s Aryan Mann was elected president as the organisation secured three of the four key positions, leaving the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) trailing. NSUI alleged EVM manipulation at Kirorimal College and Hansraj College during the polls.
The victory gives the BJP bragging rights among youth born between 1997 and 2012, many of whom formed the bulk of Delhi University’s voting population. Most voters in the DUSU elections were Gen Z, with only a small fraction from postgraduate or doctoral courses belonging to the millennial category.
This outcome follows ABVP’s breakthrough in the traditionally Left-dominated Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) elections in April, where the party won a record 23 out of 42 councillor seats across 16 schools and special centres, despite the Left alliance securing top central panel posts.
The BJP, while operating a youth wing—Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM)—has long seen ABVP as a crucial training ground for future leaders, including late finance minister Arun Jaitley and Delhi leader Rekha Gupta.
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s Gen Z outreach, BJP leaders accused him of inciting youth activism similar to Nepal’s political protests. BJP MP Kangana Ranaut told ANI, “Rahul Gandhi has always given statements that shame the country. He is calling Gen Z to protest, implying that the Nepal model should be implemented here, but he should know that in Nepal, Gen Z toppled a dynastic government.”
Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar also hit out at Gandhi over his comments.
This year’s DUSU verdict marks a sharp contrast to 2023, when NSUI candidates won the posts of president and joint secretary while ABVP bagged the vice-president and secretary slots. The latest win is expected to strengthen the BJP’s counter to Rahul Gandhi’s narrative of youth backing for Congress and his allegations of electoral malpractice, while showcasing a growing saffron influence among India’s young voters.