International tennis player, Asian Games handballer, Ladakhi student: Meet DU students’ union poll nominees

An international-level tennis player, a handball player who represented the country in the Asian Games, a visually-challenged student and in a first, a Ladakhi student – these are among the 20 candidates who will contest the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections on September 18.

The provisional list released on Friday has the candidates contesting four posts – seven for president, five for vice-president and four each for secretary and joint secretary. Student safety and accommodation have emerged as key issues in this year’s DUSU elections after a series of flashpoints on and around Delhi University.

Protests under the Cockroach Janta Party banner and the deaths of five DU students in the hostel building collapse at Satya Niketan earlier this week have brought housing, infrastructure, safety, student welfare and representation into the campaign.

The NSUI has put affordable accommodation, better infrastructure and student safety on its agenda. The unique thing about its candidates – all four are pursuing MA Buddhist Studies. President candidate Vijay Shankar Meena and joint secretary candidate Gopal Choudhary, both from Rajasthan, as well as vice-president candidate Vir Chatrath, from Delhi, are first-year students.

Secretary candidate Namrata Choudhary is in her second year. The ABVP panel brings two prominent sporting profiles to the contest. Its presidential candidate Yash Dabas, from Kanjhawala in Delhi, is an international-level tennis player who has competed in ITF events in Spain, Australia and Serbia.

He has also represented DU in university-level competitions and taken part in Khelo India and the All India University Games. He is currently studying Buddhist Studies. Joint secretary candidate Lakshay Raj Singh has represented India in handball at the Asian Games and World Championship.

He has also represented Rajasthan at the National Games and DU at the National University Games. Singh is pursuing law at Campus Law Centre. Vice-president candidate Ishu Maurya, pursuing law at Campus Law Centre, has been associated with ABVP since 2021.

He has served as president of the Satyawati College (Morning) unit and co-convener of Students for Seva. Secretary candidate Riya Chhawdi, a fourth-year BA Programme student at Sri Aurobindo College, comes from a farming family in Badarpur and has played basketball at the inter-college level.

The AISA-SFI alliance is pitching a “new, student-led DUSU”, drawing on what it calls the “GenZ movements” across the country. It is campaigning against “money and muscle politics” and for an “accessible and affordable DU”.

Its presidential candidate Ananya Raturi has been involved in campaigns around sexual harassment and caste discrimination. Vice-president candidate Akshat Shikhar, from Allahabad, participated in protests following the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and cancellation and later joined AISA’s 23-day hunger strike in solidarity with climate activist Sonam Wangchuk.

He is pursuing studies at Motilal Nehru College. Secretary candidate Stanzin Deskyong, a first-year MSc Mathematics student at Hindu College, is from Leh. According to the alliance, she is the first Ladakhi student to contest DUSU elections.

She was vice-president of the Ramjas College Students’ Union during her undergraduate years and has led a campaign seeking accountability over allegations of harassment by a professor. Joint secretary candidate B Parijat is pursuing MA English at Hansraj College and was president of the Literary Society at PGDAV College.

The race for the secretary's post in DU has three women – Namrata Choudhary of NSUI, Riya Chhawdi of ABVP and Stanzin Deskyong of AISA-SFI. Pankaj Kumar of ASAP, who is visually-challenged, is the fourth candidate. The remaining candidates include Ashmit Kumar, Samarth Beniwal, Ejaj Mansuri (Fraternity Movement) and Sameer Kumar (Disha) for president; Aranya Singh Rathore (Disha) and Deepanshu Shokeen for vice-president; and Vishesh Yadav for joint secretary, who is contesting as an Independent.

Sophiya Mathew is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She joined the Delhi bureau in 2024, and has specialization in Integrated Multimedia Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai.

Professional Background Core Beats: Her reporting is primarily focused on the Environment and Education. Specialization: She has gained recognition for her ground-level reporting on the Yamuna floodplains and the socio-economic challenges faced by those living on its banks.

She also focuses on the disparities in Delhi's education system, ranging from elite private schools to government institutions and refugee education. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) Her recent work has been heavily centered on Delhi's severe winter pollution crisis and the government's regulatory responses: 1.

The Air Pollution Crisis "A tale of two cities: Delhi govt schools choke in bad air, private classrooms set up air filters" (Dec 20, 2025): A high-impact feature contrasting the "Clean Air Bubbles" in elite schools with the reality of government school students who are exposed to an equivalent of 17 cigarettes a day due to outdoor exposure.

"Delhi sees season's worst air day, second worst December AQI in nearly a decade" (Dec 15, 2025): An analytical report on the meteorological patterns trapping pollutants in the NCR. "Delhi bans non-BS VI vehicles from outside: Why curbing vehicular pollution is key" (Dec 17, 2025): Explaining the science behind targeting specific vehicle vintages to lower particulate matter.

2. Enforcement & Regulations "No fuel at pumps in Delhi without valid PUC certificate from December 18" (Dec 17, 2025): Breaking the news on the environment ministry's strict "No PUC, No Fuel" policy. 3. Education Policy "Law to regulate school fee in Delhi risks becoming procedural, say parents" (Dec 13, 2025): Investigating the loopholes in the new Delhi School Education (Transparency in...