NEW DELHI: A day after the DUSU election results were announced, Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha-backed candidate Vishesh Yadav has called for a re-poll, alleging that the joint-secretary contest saw a sudden shift in vote counts during the final round of counting.Yadav, who finished second, also alleged that students were coerced into voting for a particular organisation through threats of attendance deductions and said he would file an FIR over the alleged discrepancies.According to Yadav, he maintained a steady lead during the initial stages of counting until the concluding rounds.He alleged that students faced coercion during the election process, including threats of attendance deductions.“It is a recurring issue that the organisation engages in malpractice during the election or the vote-counting process. Students are coerced into voting for the organisation under the threat of having their attendance deducted if they fail to do so. I was leading right up to the final round of counting. The 20th round involves the counting of votes from six EVMs, ” Vishesh Yadav told ANI.Questioning the change in the final tally, Yadav said, “Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Lakshya Raj had won. What exactly happened that caused me to fall behind by 700 votes? … This is blatant manipulation directed against a candidate.”Yadav said he would continue to raise student issues and called for a re-poll in the disputed rounds. He also confirmed that he planned to file an FIR against those he holds responsible for the alleged discrepancies.“I want to appeal to the students of Delhi University: Vishesh Yadav remains just as strong today as he was when you voted for him… the fight did not end with the election… I continue to stand up for the students… I am now calling for a re-poll, and I will also file an FIR against those who,” Vishesh Yadav said.Yadav finished second in the joint-secretary contest with 15,778 votes, while ABVP‘s Lakshya Raj Singh won the post with 16,615 votes. NSUI‘s Gopal Choudhary secured 15,206 votes.The remarks came after ABVP won three of the four key DUSU posts, with Yash Dabas elected president, Riya Chhawdi winning the secretary’s post and Lakshya Raj Singh securing the joint-secretary position. Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen won the vice-president’s post.After winning the joint-secretary position, ABVP’s Lakshya Raj Singh said the organisation had consistently worked on student issues and attributed the result to students’ support.Meanwhile, newly elected DUSU president Yash Dabas criticised Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, saying he should be able to hear “the voice of the students” at Delhi University.ABVP won three of the four central-panel posts, while an Independent candidate won the vice-president’s post. Dabas said the result showed that no candidate backed by Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party or the Left won a central-panel position, and linked the outcome to support for the current government.“The results are right in front of you, whether it’s Punjab or Delhi. ABVP won at Punjab University, and now the students of Delhi University have also crowned the ABVP with victory.”Referring to the recent Satya Niketan building collapse, Dabas said, “We want the MCD to conduct safety audits of every building, be it a hostel, a PG accommodation, or any structure in student areas. If a building is unsafe for students to live in, it should either be sealed or renovated. We do not want the accident that occurred at Satya Niketan to ever happen again. I believe that today, Rahul Gandhi can clearly hear the voice of the students from Delhi University.“Dabas secured 24,576 votes to defeat NSUI’s Vijay Meena, who polled 22,523 votes. Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen won the vice-president’s post with 30,615 votes, while ABVP’s Ishu Maurya received 16,910 votes and NSUI’s Vir Chatrath secured 4,313 votes.The DUSU campaign focused on student concerns including safety, accommodation, campus infrastructure, academic facilities and social justice.Student housing remained a major issue following the Satya Niketan building collapse, which claimed seven lives, including five students.The incident had earlier triggered protests by ABVP and NSUI, with both demanding accountability and action.A total of 20 candidates representing major student organisations, including ABVP, NSUI and the AISA-SFI alliance, contested the DUSU elections.The central panel comprises the posts of president, vice-president, secretary and joint secretary.(With ANI inputs)
