After DUSU Rout, Rahul Gandhi Pulls Up Kanhaiya Kumar Over NSUI’s Poor Show

Congress is assessing its Delhi University Students’ Union setback after NSUI failed to win a single post on the four-member central panel, a result that has sharpened scrutiny of Rahul Gandhi’s outreach to young voters and its reach on campuses.

On Monday, Gandhi called NSUI in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar and national president Vinod Jakhar to a review meeting on the outcome. Congress organisation general secretary KC Venugopal was also present.

Congress had viewed the DUSU election as a gauge of its appeal among young voters. The party treated the contest as a test of its youth outreach. NSUI drew a blank, and the result exposed the gap between its expectations and the final tally, reported India Today.

The setback has also fuelled questions around Gandhi’s “Chhatron Ki Goonj” outreach, which has taken him to student groups in different cities. The DUSU outcome has prompted internal doubts over whether that broader engagement is translating into organisation on the ground.

Gandhi Questions Strategy

Gandhi wanted answers. He asked Kumar and Jakhar how NSUI ended up with such a weak result despite being close to taking the presidential seat, sources informed. “We were very close to winning the presidential seat, then what happened?” Gandhi is learnt to have asked during the meeting.

India Today reported that Gandhi was unhappy with how the contest was run. He wanted a detailed breakdown of the campaign, the strategy and the candidate-selection process.

Venugopal also pressed Kumar about the outcome, sources informed. He is learnt to have noted that Kumar had taken charge of the candidates during ticket allocation and asked why the final tally fell so far below what the party had expected.

Shokeen Ticket Row

One episode drew particular attention. Deepanshu Shokeen, a former NSUI member, won the vice-president’s post as an Independent. He had been involved in student politics since 2023 and had campaigned for NSUI in the 2023 and 2024 elections, making his move away from the organisation a sharper blow for the student wing.

He had once again sought the party’s ticket but was not chosen. He eventually entered the 2025 contest as an Independent. Gandhi specifically asked Kumar and Jakhar why Shokeen had not been taken on board, sources informed.

The two leaders reportedly told Gandhi that the terms Shokeen had set were not acceptable. Gandhi, however, was not convinced by the way the issue had been handled, sources informed.

Congress leader Amitabh Dubey has disputed the assertion that Shokeen was denied a ticket. In a post on X, Dubey said, “Shokeen was offered the presidential ticket but turned it down before deciding to contest the vice-president’s post independently.”

Election Fallout Deepens

The result was stark. ABVP, which is affiliated with the RSS, won the president, secretary and joint-secretary posts. Shokeen won the vice-president’s post as an Independent. NSUI did not win any seat on the four-member central panel.

The result came amid Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s outreach to younger voters. DUSU had been viewed within the party as an important test of its youth outreach and campus organisation.

The meeting also touched on the growing political interest among Gen-Z youth around issues and movements across the country, sources said. Against this backdrop, the leadership reviewed the outcome of the student election.

Speaking to Outlook India, NSUI’s DUSU election incharge Akhilesh Yadav alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to SRCC days before the polls was aimed at influencing the contest.

“This election was not NSUI Vs ABVP, but NSUI Vs Narendra Modi,” Yadav said.

Yadav also alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, a former DUSU member, took a personal interest in the election. He further alleged that the BJP influenced the polls and claimed that the Delhi Police did not treat NSUI workers fairly during the election.