With the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) set for next week, the main student groups have unveiled their manifestos that focus on education, accessibility, campus safety and welfare. The leading players include the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the SFI-AISA alliance.
The ABVP has highlighted that its manifesto was shaped by more than 5,000 suggestions collected from students. It has pledged subsidised health insurance, additional funds for academic and cultural societies, upgraded sports facilities with nutritional support for athletes, and accessibility audits to make campuses more inclusive. Free Wi-Fi across DU and financial assistance for final-year research scholars are also part of its agenda.
The NSUI, on the other hand, has stressed affordability, inclusivity, and students' rights in its manifesto. It has proposed a barrier-free campus, a monthly allowance of Rs 5,000 for students with disabilities, and their representation in key university committees. It also promised support systems for North-Eastern and linguistic minority students, along with sustainable campus measures.
In a separate women's manifesto, NSUI has focused on safety and health, pledging dedicated helplines, sanitary pad vending machines, menstrual health awareness campaigns and gender sensitivity initiatives on campus. The organisation has also called for rejecting the National Education Policy (NEP) in favour of greater public funding.
The SFI-AISA alliance has positioned its agenda as "a true student-centric manifesto". It has promised to resist fee hikes, demand elected Internal Complaints Committees, push for gender sensitisation cells, and restore grievance redressal mechanisms. The alliance has also pledged menstrual leave for women students and called for women's colleges like Lady Shri Ram, Gargi and Daulat Ram to be brought under the union.
The alliance argued that important teaching hours were being diverted to "bogus courses" under Skill Enhancement and Value Added categories, instead of core subjects. It vowed to restore core course credits, revise internal assessments and reinstate entrance examinations.
According to the official schedule, polling for the DUSU elections will be held on Thursday, September 18, 2025. Voting will take place in two shifts: from 8:30 am to 1 pm for day classes and from 3 pm to 7:30 pm for evening classes. Counting of votes is slated for the next day, Friday, September 19, 2025.
