ABVP holds 'Chhatra Garjana' rally in DU ahead of student union polls

New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) Many DU students on Tuesday participated in the ABVP's "Chhatra Garjana" rally held simultaneously in the North and South campuses, raising a host of student-related demands ahead of the upcoming Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) polls.

The rally, led by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leaders and probable candidates, highlighted issues such as a porta cabin-free university, scholarships for SC, ST, OBC students and appointment of psychologists and gynaecologists in every college, according to a statement issued by the student body.

The other demands included a centralised placement cell, concessional metro passes, National Cadet Corps (NCC) facilities for girl students, supplementary exams for final-year students, fellowship for undergraduate fourth-year students and a coordination committee for hostel students to prevent exploitation.

Eight DUSU aspirants from the ABVP -- Aryan Maan, Bhoomika Chauhan, Deepika Jha, Ishu Maurya, Kunal Chaudhary, Lakshyaraj Singh, Govind Tanwar and Yash Dabas -- joined the protest and urged the Delhi University administration to address students' grievances.

"The ABVP has received great support from students in both campuses. The student council fights for student rights 365 days a year and today, once again, students have given us their valuable support. We have demanded that the DU administration resolve students' issues at the earliest," national general secretary of the organisation Virendra Solanki said.

ABVP Delhi state secretary Sarthak Sharma said the rally reflected the "unified voice of DU students", pointing to problems like a lack of infrastructure, the absence of gynaecologists for girl students and clean drinking water.

The "Chhatra Garjana" rally came days before the 2025-26 DUSU polls, scheduled for September 18, with the counting of votes to be taken up the next day.

The polls this year are being conducted under strict measures against defacement, in line with the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations.

Last year, the Delhi High Court had withheld the counting of votes over defacement of public property during campaigning and allowed it to proceed only after the defaced properties were cleaned.

Meanwhile, the ABVP has released a list of 11 probable candidates for the central panel, with the final four names to be announced on September 11. PTI MHS RC