New Delhi: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has summoned National Students' Union of India (NSUI) in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar and president Vinod Jakhar following the organisation's performance in the 2026 Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections.
According to The Indian Express, Gandhi sought an explanation from the two leaders over NSUI's failure to win any of the four central-panel posts in the DUSU elections. The meeting was held as the Congress continues efforts to strengthen its outreach among students and young voters.
The 2026 DUSU results saw the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) win three central-panel positions. Yash Dabas won the president's post, Riya Chhawdi became secretary and Lakshya Raj Singh won the joint secretary's post. Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen, a former NSUI member, won the vice-president's position with 30,615 votes.
The result marked the first time since 2015 that NSUI failed to secure a seat on the DUSU central panel. Shokeen's victory also prevented an ABVP sweep of all four positions.
According to sources cited in the report, Gandhi questioned Kumar and Jakhar about the reasons for the defeat and sought a report on the organisation's campaign and strategy.
The handling of Shokeen's candidature was also discussed. Shokeen had previously campaigned for NSUI and sought an organisational ticket before contesting the 2026 election as an Independent. He subsequently won the vice-president's post by a margin of 13,705 votes over ABVP candidate Ishu Maurya.
Reports cited by The Indian Express said Gandhi questioned why Shokeen was not accommodated within the NSUI's election strategy. Congress leader Amitabh Dubey, however, disputed reports that NSUI had simply denied Shokeen a ticket, saying on X that he had been offered the president's ticket but chose to contest the vice-president's position independently.
The meeting comes as the Congress seeks to increase its engagement with students and young voters. Gandhi's recent student outreach programme, "Chhatron Ki Goonj", has also been part of those efforts.
NSUI's leadership is now expected to review the organisation's campaign, candidate selection and student outreach following the DUSU results.
