New Delhi: Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who is attempting to reach out to young voters ahead of elections in seven states across the country, is upset about the outcome of the recently held Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) polls.
He reportedly summoned the party’s student wing in-charge, Kanhaiya Kumar, and national president, Vinod Jakhar, on Monday to review the outcomes and discuss corrective measures.
The Congress’ students’ wing, National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), failed to win a single seat on the four-member central panel in the DUSU elections held in September.
The DUSU election was beyond a student poll for the Congress. It was the first test of the party’s Gen Z outreach against the backdrop of widespread student-led protests in July over the irregularities in NEET-UG 2026.
Rahul questioned Kumar and Jakhar why the NSUI lost the election despite being close to winning the presidential post, India Today reported, citing sources.
“We were very close to winning the presidential seat, then what happened?” Rahul is learnt to have asked during the meeting, in which the party’s general secretary K C Vanugopal was also present.
The Congress MP expressed his disappointment with the NSUI’s performance in the DUSU election, while also seeking a detailed explanation of the strategy, candidate selection, and campaign, sources said.
Venugopal is also learnt to have questioned Kanhaiya Kumar over the setback. Asking why the outcome was far different from expectations, he pointed out that Kumar had taken responsibility for the candidates during the ticket distribution, India Today reported.
In the DUSU elections, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, won the president, secretary and joint-secretary posts. Deepanshu Shokeen, a former NSUI member who contested as an independent candidate, won the vice president post.
It was Shokeen’s win that bothered Rahul further. He is said to have asked Kumar and Jakhar why the ex-NSUI member could not be accomodated, to which the duo said that the conditions he had put forth were unreasonable, as reported by News18.
The defeat poses an uncomfortable question before the Congress party: What went wrong with the party’s Gen Z outreach plan?
Rahul has held ‘Chatron Ki Gunj’ events in multiple cities so far, intending to connect with young voters and raise their issues. However, it remains to be seen whether the crowds will actually translate into votes.
