Rahul Gandhi Questions Kanhaiya Kumar Over NSUI’s DUSU Rout, Seeks Answers on Ticket Decisions

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has sought answers from NSUI in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar and national president Vinod Jakhar over the organisation’s poor performance in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections.

The meeting took place on Monday, weeks after the Congress’s student wing failed to win any of the four posts on the DUSU central panel for the first time in more than a decade.

The ABVP won the president, secretary and joint-secretary posts, while independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen secured the vice-president’s position.

Sources said Gandhi asked Kumar and Jakhar to explain the reasons behind the defeat and sought details of the decisions taken during the election campaign. The two leaders had submitted a report on the results and were questioned about the organisation’s strategy and candidate selection.

Deepanshu Shokeen’s Candidature Discussed

Gandhi also reportedly questioned the NSUI leadership about why Deepanshu Shokeen, a former NSUI member who contested the vice-president’s post as an independent, was not accommodated within the organisation.

Shokeen had been involved in student politics and had previously campaigned for NSUI. After failing to secure the party’s ticket, he contested independently and went on to win the vice-president’s post.

NSUI leaders reportedly told Gandhi that the conditions put forward by Shokeen were not acceptable. However, sources said Gandhi was dissatisfied with the way the issue was handled.

Congress leader Amitabh Dubey has disputed the claim that NSUI denied Shokeen a ticket for the election. He said Shokeen had been offered the presidential ticket but chose to contest the vice-president’s election independently.

DUSU Defeat Raises Questions for NSUI

The setback has come as Congress steps up its outreach to young voters through Rahul Gandhi’s “Chhatron Ki Goonj” programme, which has attracted students at events in several cities.

The party is now examining the NSUI’s organisational functioning, candidate-selection process and engagement with students following the DUSU result.

The meeting with Kumar and Jakhar was part of that internal review, with Gandhi seeking specific explanations for the organisation’s failure to secure a single central-panel post.