Deepanshu Shokeen: From being denied NSUI ticket to becoming DUSU V-P as independent

NEW DELHI:  For Deepanshu Shokeen, who was elected the new vice-president of Delhi University Students Union on Saturday, the election campaign was as much about raising students' issues as it was about contesting independently after being denied an NSUI ticket.

Shokeen, the son of a Delhi Transport Corporation bus conductor and an Anganwadi teacher, is a native of Peeragarhi village in west Delhi.

He secured the DUSU vice-president post by bagging 30,615 votes. His closest rival, Ishu Maurya of Akhil Bharataiya Vidyarthi Parishad, was defeated by a margin of 13,705 votes.

Shokeen, who is pursuing a Master's in Buddhist Studies after completing his graduation from Bhagat Singh College, said that his experience as a student over the last four years shaped his decision to enter student politics.

Shokeen said he walked barefoot throughout the campaign, vowing not to wear shoes until justice was delivered to students affected by the Satya Niketan building tragedy. The collapse of the multi-storey paying guest accommodation on September 6 resulted in the deaths of seven people, including five Delhi University students.

Shokeen's election journey this year was also marked by a fallout with the Congress-backed National Students Union of India (NSUI).

According to party officials, he sought an NSUI ticket and was nominated initially, but was later asked to withdraw his nomination.

"We got to know that he was snubbed over the NSUI ticket on September 11. That is when he decided to fight independently," his father Rakesh Shokeen told PTI.

The newly elected DUSU V-P said the core focus of his campaign was raising students' issues he himself experienced first-hand.

"Whether it is the issue of hostel facility, university infrastructure or policies, I have faced all of them myself. This election was fought on all these student-centric issues," he told PTI.

"Fighting the election was not my only motive; I was representing all the students and their issues. I am here to raise their voice," he said.

Shokeen has publicly criticised "the organisational shortcomings within NSUI" and questioned the way the candidates were selected.

"Denying him a ticket and him later fighting as an independent candidate turned into an open challenge to the organisation's ticket distribution process," an NSUI functionary said on condition of anonymity.

In an X post on the result day, Shokeen thanked students of Delhi University. "This victory isn't mine. It belongs to every student who wants to raise real issues on campus. Fighting independently wasn't easy, but you've proven that students' trust rises above student organisations," his post read.

He said his responsibility has grown.

"I will become the voice of every student. Revolution, comrades. Victory to Hind. Victory to Delhi University," he further said.

Earlier, Shokeen had alleged that some senior NSUI leaders questioned his campaign spending and visibility, including whether his cars were being seen enough during the rallies. He also accused the NSUI of failing to manage its internal differences and blaming the candidates for the fallout.

"No doubt that fighting as an independent candidate was very difficult but I had the support of the students," he told PTI.

Shokeen had also said that, if elected, he would protest outside the Delhi University Vice-Chancellor's office even before taking charge of the DUSU office, signalling the confrontational approach he intended to bring to student politics.

His decision to contest independently after being denied the NSUI ticket, coupled with his barefoot campaign after the Satya Niketan tragedy, had made him one of the closely watched independent candidates in this year's DUSU election.