New Delhi: The picture of the highly anticipated Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections is finally clear, with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) asserting its dominance by securing three of the four central panel posts. As the newly elected student leaders prepare to take charge of one of the country’s most politically significant campuses, a common question arises among the masses: What are the exact powers, salaries, and facilities these office bearers receive?
In the recently concluded elections, ABVP’s Yash Dabas was elected as the DUSU President. He secured 24,576 votes, defeating his closest rival, Vijay Shankar Meena of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), by a margin of 2,053 votes. The Secretary post went to ABVP’s Riya Chhabri, who comprehensively beat NSUI’s Namrata Chaudhary by 6,781 votes. Furthermore, Lakshya Raj Singh from ABVP clinched the Joint Secretary position, defeating Vishesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha by 837 votes. In a historic twist, independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen captured the Vice-President post with an overwhelming victory margin of over 20,000 votes.
Despite the intense campaigning and massive scale of these elections, DUSU office bearers do not receive any regular monthly salary or government allowances similar to Members of Parliament (MPs) or Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
However, what they lack in monetary compensation, they make up for in sheer administrative influence. Their primary power lies in acting as the official voice for thousands of students across Delhi University’s affiliated colleges and departments. The office bearers possess the special authority to raise student-related issues, highlight grievances, and negotiate directly with the university’s top administrative management to bring about immediate resolutions.
To facilitate their day-to-day operations, the university provides several infrastructural perks. The DUSU union is allotted a designated room for an official workspace situated in the heart of the North Campus, where the leaders can conduct their meetings and operational work. For smooth administrative functioning, the elected representatives are also assigned a clerk and essential support staff.
Additionally, the university allocates a specific budget and funds to the DUSU union. These financial resources are carefully monitored and are strictly intended to be utilised for student welfare initiatives, organising educational seminars, and hosting various cultural programs across the university throughout their tenure.