NEW DELHI: The Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections this year had acquired a larger-than-usual profile as a string of events — successful Gen Z protests, the horrific tragedy of the Satya Niketan building collapse and Congress’ Rahul Gandhi’s campaign among the youth — elevated the contest to a micro assessment of students’ sentiments towards BJP in the national capital.ABVP, RSS’s student wing, winning three of the four posts and the rout of Congress’s student outfit NSUI have come as a huge relief for BJP at a time when the odds were stacked against it. The BJP brass quickly emphasised its significance. This win shows students’ unwavering trust in ABVP’s nation-first ideology and its dedication to their interests, Union home minister Amit Shah said. “This glorious victory is a clear message to those anti-national forces who want to turn the youth power into a laboratory for their anti-national agenda,” he added. The victory symbolises the youth’s unshakeable faith in the ideology of nation first, defence minister Rajnath Singh said.BJP chief Nitin Nabin said, “This victory reflects the youth’s continued faith in positive and constructive student politics, rooted in the spirit of nation first, and its strong resolve to contribute to the vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’.”Union education minister Pralhad Joshi, who took charge after Dharmendra Pradhan had to quit following the CJP agitation, and parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju also celebrated ABVP’s performance.The DUSU polls no longer have the national profile they once enjoyed, and over the years, local factors and community ties have gained importance. But this election was no ordinary one. NSUI had entered the contest with confidence, with senior Congress functionaries playing an active role in shaping its strategy, while AISA was buoyed by its visible presence in the Gen Z protest at Jantar Mantar. AAP’s student wing, which had faced a whitewash in 2018, entered the arena hoping that the “association” of the protest’s main organisers, like Abhijeet Dipke, with the party would give it strength on campus.The result gives BJP grounds to believe that student discontent has not hardened into disengagement from its agenda, spearheaded by ABVP on campuses.As the results were declared, on a day when Rahul was interacting with the youth in Indore under his ‘Chhatron ki goonj’ campaign, it was clear ABVP’s rivals had overestimated their strength and students’ perceived disaffection with BJP. The win comes close on the heels of ABVP’s impressive show at Panjab University.
