Sanjay Pandita
Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 21: Fresh questions have emerged over candidate selection within the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) after newly elected Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) Vice-President Deepanshu Shokeen alleged that he was denied the organisation’s ticket because of his modest economic background.
Shokeen, who scripted history by winning the vice-president’s post as an Independent candidate with a record margin, said his financial circumstances worked against him when the Congress-backed student wing was finalising candidates for the prestigious DUSU elections.
“Money and muscle power often dominate DUSU elections. My economic condition was one of the reasons the NSUI denied me the mandate for the vice-president’s post,” Shokeen said in an interview.
The son of a bus conductor and an Anganwadi worker, Shokeen had been associated with the NSUI for several years and had sought the organisation’s nomination for the vice-president's post. However, after being denied a ticket, he chose to enter the contest as an Independent candidate.
Shokeen scripted history by winning the vice-president’s post as an Independent candidate with a record margin,
His financial circumstances worked against him when the Congress-backed student wing was finalising candidates for the prestigious DUSU elections.
The son of a bus conductor and an Anganwadi worker, Shokeen had been associated with the NSUI for several years but was denied a ticket to contest.
The official NSUI nominee finished a distant third.
The outcome has sparked debate within student political circles, particularly as the NSUI failed to win any of the four key DUSU posts. While the ABVP secured the positions of president, secretary and joint secretary, Shokeen emerged as the sole non-ABVP winner by capturing the vice-president's post as an Independent.
Shokeen has also criticised the NSUI leadership over what he described as flawed ticket distribution and a disconnect from grassroots workers. He alleged that candidate selection was influenced by internal factionalism and external pressures rather than merit and organisational performance.
The controversy has put the spotlight on the Congress-affiliated student body's candidate selection process, with Shokeen's victory being viewed by many as a setback for the NSUI leadership and a testament to the appeal of grassroots-backed candidates. | 