DUSU Elections 2025: Major Rule Change Allows Third-Year Students To Contest For VP Post

For the first time in the history of the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU), third-year students will be able to run for the posts of Vice President and Joint Secretary. This change is due to the implementation of the Four-Year Undergraduate Program (FYUP) under the National Education Policy (NEP), which has extended the duration of undergraduate studies to four years.

Under this new system, third-year students are no longer considered "final-year" students. The DUSU election committee has issued a notification to clarify this. However, students from any year can still run for the top posts of President and Secretary.

Meanwhile, campaigning for the student union elections is in full swing. Although the final list of candidates has not been released yet, a poster war is raging on the 'Wall of Democracy' along the Delhi University road.

According to Section 11(2) of the DUSU constitution, only those students who are not appearing for their final-year university exams in that academic year can be candidates for Vice President and Joint Secretary. The university has issued this new order to bring clarity for students under the new four-year system. The last date for filing nominations is September 10.

Chief Election Officer, Prof Raj Kishore Sharma, stated in a notification, "This decision has been taken to ensure transparency and smooth conduct of the student union elections. All interested candidates should complete their nomination process within the deadline."

Only Students Enrolled by September 9 Can Vote

The DUSU election committee has clearly stated that for the elections on September 18, only those students who have completed their admission and paid their fees by September 9 will be eligible to vote. Since the admission process for the mop-up round is still ongoing, students who get admitted after September 9 will not be able to cast their vote.

Students are using creative methods for campaigning, such as painting on cloth and displaying it on vehicles along the Delhi University road.

Students will be able to vote using their college ID cards. First-year students who have not yet received their ID cards can vote by showing their fee receipt along with a government-issued ID like an Aadhaar card, PAN card, Voter ID card or a driving license.

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Record Turnout of 300,000 Voters Expected

This year, around 300,000 students will be able to vote. Due to the four-year degree program, about 60 per cent of students have enrolled in the fourth year. With just three years of students, the voter count is usually around 210,000. The university is considering including the remaining 40 per cent of students as voters, which will bring the total number to nearly 300,000.

Never before in DUSU's history have so many students voted. It is expected that the fourth-year students will have a major impact on the election results and will play a decisive role in the outcome.

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700 EVMs Secured for the Election

Around 700 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been secured for the DUSU elections. For the main DUSU posts (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Joint Secretary), voting is done using EVMs, while votes for college counselors are cast on ballot papers.

DUSU Election President, Prof Raj Kishore Sharma, said that a team from the Election Commission is inspecting the EVMs. Before the election, all properly functioning EVMs will be handed over to the university. The election committee will send five EVMs each to 52 colleges and centers, and a total of 155 polling stations will be set up for the election.