New Delhi [India], September 19 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Media Co-Convener Sidharth Yadav on Friday alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's own party's student wing, NSUI, was involved in malpractice during the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections, claiming that a student was "caught casting a vote" using a fake ID card.
The counting of votes for the DUSU polls is underway amid heightened security across Delhi University, with the results for the four central posts of President, Vice-President, Secretary and Joint Secretary expected to be announced today.
Speaking in a Self-Made video posted on X, Yadav said, "Rahul Gandhi, who loudly alleges vote theft, his own party's student wing—the NSUI—caught casting a vote using a fake ID card during the Delhi University Students Union elections. Upon being caught, the student herself confessed that many NSUI activists are engaged in voting with fake ID cards in the Delhi University Students Union elections."
He alleged that the vote theft was perpetrated on a massive scale within Rahul Gandhi's own party and student organisation. "It has now become clear why Rahul Gandhi sees vote theft everywhere: it is because such theft is being perpetrated on a massive scale within his own party and student organisation..." he added.
In a further attack on Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Yadav said, "There is a vast difference between Rahul Gandhi's words and his actions. Rahul Gandhi ought to be ashamed. He should apologise to the nation for the way the election—an event where only the youth are voting—was rigged, compromised, and tainted by malpractice. This has become the hallmark of Rahul Gandhi and his party, revealing just how serious they are about democracy."
After the first round of counting, ABVP candidates are leading for the posts of President and Secretary, while independent candidates are ahead for the posts of Vice President and Joint Secretary.
For the President’s post, ABVP’s Yash Dabas is leading with 1,305 votes, while NSUI’s Vijay Shankar Meena has secured 1,191 votes. For the Vice President’s post, independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen is leading with 1,391 votes, followed by ABVP’s Ishu Maurya with 865 votes and NSUI’s Virr Chatrath with 242 votes.
For the Secretary’s post, ABVP’s Riya Chhawdi is leading with 909 votes, while NSUI’s Namrata Chaudhary has received 450 votes. For the Joint Secretary’s post, independent candidate Vishesh Yadav is leading with 996 votes, followed by ABVP’s Lakshay Raj Singh with 938 votes and NSUI’s Gopal Chaudhary with 698 votes.
Meanwhile, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) DUSU Vice Presidential candidate Ishu Maurya expressed confidence in the organisation's performance, saying that ABVP would secure a decisive victory in the elections.
"We have faith in the students of Delhi University. We are fully confident; we are certain that the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) will achieve a 4-0 victory. If we look at it comparatively, the turnout has actually been higher this time than last year," Maurya said.
"They have faith in every ABVP candidate and in the organisation itself. That is why I am fully confident that the ABVP will win with a decisive majority this time," he added.
Futher speaking to ANI, DUSU Chief Returning Officer Rajesh Singh said that arrangements for the counting process have been completed with security measures in place.
"The arrangements we have made for the counting process are absolutely foolproof. The Delhi Police is working shoulder-to-shoulder with us, and they have put robust security measures in place. We have de-sealed the EVMs from the strong room—specifically the 158 control units—and have already transported them to the designated counting venue," Singh said.
"We aim to conduct the counting across eight tables simultaneously, and all arrangements are in order. While this is indeed a university election, it spans the entire city of Delhi... I anticipate that we will be able to declare the results between 12 PM and 1 PM," he added.
A total of 20 candidates representing major student organisations, including the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), National Students Union of India (NSUI), and the alliance of the All India Students Association (AISA) and Students Federation of India (SFI), contested the elections. (ANI)
"Rahul Gandhi's own party's student wing caught casting vote using fake ID": BJP's Sidharth Yadav as DUSU vote counting underway
