New Delhi, Sept. 20 -- The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) retained its hold over the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU), winning three of the four central panel posts on Saturday, but the election also proved that independents can hold sway, as one candidate not affiliated with any student organisation made it to the panel after 17 years. ABVP's Yash Dabas defeated NSUI's Vijay Shankar Meena for the president's post, polling 24,576 votes against Meena's 22,523. Riya Chhawdi, also of the ABVP, won the secretary's post with 21,650 votes, while Lakshay Raj Singh secured the joint-secretary position with 16,615 votes. The vice-president post went to Deepanshu Shokeen, a former National Students' Union of India (NSUI) member, who also secured the highest vote tally, of 30,615, among the four. After the results were confirmed, following 20 rounds of counting with a close contest for multiple posts, Dabas said, "Delhi University's GenZ has given a clear message that it believes in social harmony and nationalism. I will work to transform this trust into responsibility and ensure that the voice of every student is represented strongly through the students' union." Shokeen's victory was markedly different as he defeated his closest contestant by a margin of over 13,000. Shokeen had originally sought an NSUI ticket but eventually contested independently, after being denied the nomination. "The support that students have shown reflects that hard work is far more important than political affiliations. I will continue to work hard to fulfil the promises made in the manifesto-solid progress for on-campus accommodation will remain the foremost priority," said Shokeen. The results are also significant because it is for the first time since 2015 that the NSUI will not hold a central post in the DUSU. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hailed ABVP's victory. "This clearly shows the politics of lies, deceit and propaganda that Rahul Gandhi has been pursuing for a long time has been rejected by DU students today. The DUSU polls were like a litmus test, and Rahul Gandhi has failed that litmus test," said Sidharth Yadav, BJP's national media co-convenor. Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta posted on X: "Heartiest congratulations to all young comrades on the splendid victory of #ABVP in the Delhi University Students' Union elections. The wins of Yash Dabas for the President's post, Riya Chhawdi for the Secretary's post, and Lakshay Raj Singh for the Joint Secretary's post represent a triumph of youth faith in the values of 'Knowledge, Character, and Unity' as well as 'Nation First'." However, the Congress-affiliated NSUI alleged that the results were "rigged" and hit out at the BJP for fielding "Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a campaigner for the ABVP", referring to his appearance at Shri Ram College of Commerce on September 5. NSUI national president Vinod Jakhar said, "We lost by a narrow margin of votes, but NSUI will fulfil the promises made to students with great determination. When the PM becomes a star campaigner in a university election, nothing is left of a fair democratic contest. If it had been a contest solely against the ABVP, we would have won."...