‘Expand Outreach, Take on RSS’: Rahul Gandhi Meets Kanhaiya Kumar After NSUI’s DUSU Setback

Rahul Gandhi reviews NSUI’s DUSU defeat with Kanhaiya Kumar, calls for wider student outreach

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has reviewed the National Students’ Union of India’s (NSUI) performance in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections with senior student-wing leaders Kanhaiya Kumar and Vinod Jakhar, following the organisation’s failure to secure any of the four central-panel positions.

The meeting, held in New Delhi on Monday, also involved Congress general secretary K C Venugopal. Reports citing party sources said the discussions focused on the reasons behind NSUI’s poor showing, candidate selection, campaign strategy and the organisation’s wider engagement with students.

NSUI draws a blank in DUSU elections

The 2026 DUSU results saw the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) win three of the four central-panel positions.

ABVP candidates won the president, secretary and joint-secretary posts, while independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen won the vice-president's position. NSUI failed to win any of the four posts.

The result has prompted questions within the Congress about its student outreach and organisational presence on university campuses.

Rahul Gandhi questions campaign and candidate selection

According to sources cited by India Today, Gandhi questioned Kanhaiya Kumar and Vinod Jakhar about how NSUI ended up without a single seat despite being considered close to the presidential position.

Gandhi reportedly asked, “We were very close to winning the presidential seat, then what happened?” He sought an explanation of the campaign strategy, election management and candidate-selection process.

A particular focus of the discussion was the case of Deepanshu Shokeen, a former NSUI member who contested the vice-president's election as an Independent and won.

Reports said Shokeen had previously worked with NSUI and had sought the organisation's backing again. Congress sources have offered differing accounts of whether he was actually offered a ticket. One Congress leader, Amitabh Dubey, said on X that Shokeen had been offered the presidential ticket but declined it before contesting the vice-president's post independently.

‘Take on RSS’ message

According to an ABP report citing sources, Gandhi also stressed the need to challenge the RSS's influence in educational institutions.

He reportedly told the leaders that the organisation needed to take up student concerns at the grassroots level and raise them within universities so that students become more aware of the issues affecting them.

The discussion comes amid Congress's broader efforts to strengthen its connection with younger voters. Gandhi's “Chhatron Ki Goonj” outreach has involved interactions with students in different parts of the country, but the DUSU result has raised questions about whether such outreach is translating into organisational support on campuses.

DUSU setback raises questions for Congress

The DUSU election is closely watched by political parties because of the prominent role university politics can play in developing future political leaders.

The latest result has therefore triggered an internal review within the Congress's student organisation. Reports said the leadership also discussed growing political engagement among Gen-Z students and the need for NSUI to connect more directly with issues affecting young people.

The Congress has not publicly announced any major organisational changes following the meeting. For now, the focus remains on understanding the DUSU outcome and strengthening NSUI's campus-level engagement.