BY SANJEEB KUMAR SAHOO
Since I have always maintained that I would promote honest politics, no matter what, I came to know yesterday, from reliable sources, as well as from a student who participated as a voter in the recently concluded Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, that Deepanshu Shokeen, who won the Vice-President’s post in the DUSU polls, had allegedly made a behind-the-scenes understanding with Yash Dabas, who won the President’s post.
According to what I was told, the alleged understanding between Deepanshu Shokeen and Yash Dabas was to support each other in the DUSU elections so that the President,
Vice-President, and Joint Secretary posts would go to candidates from the Jat community.
However, things did not go exactly according to the plan. Despite Kanhaiya Kumar, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge of the student wing, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), not giving Deepanshu Shokeen a ticket to contest the Vice-President’s post, he was reportedly asked to contest for President.
Deepanshu Shokeen reportedly said that he did not want to contest for President. Kanhaiya Kumar then reportedly asked him to contest for Joint Secretary, but Deepanshu Shokeen also declined.
As a result, Deepanshu Shokeen decided to contest as an independent candidate for Vice-President and ultimately won the post. According to the information shared with me, he benefited from support among Jat students.
Deepanshu Shokeen, according to the same account, also understood that if he had contested for President on an NSUI ticket, he would have faced a difficult contest against Yash Dabas, who ultimately won the President’s post.
He also reportedly did not want to divide the Jat student vote and wanted to maintain strong Jat representation in the DUSU elections. This, according to the account shared with me, was one of the reasons he declined to contest for Joint Secretary, knowing that his chances of winning the Vice-President’s post were stronger with support from Jat students.
Interestingly, ABVP’s winning candidate, Yash Dabas, is a Jat from Kanjhawala, while Deepanshu Shokeen, who had been associated with NSUI and also belongs to the Jat community, contested as an independent candidate after NSUI did not give him the ticket he wanted. The road distance between Peeragarhi and Kanjhawala in Delhi is roughly 14–17 km.
According to information I received about an alleged behind-the-scenes arrangement between ABVP’s winning candidate Yash Dabas and independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen, who won the Vice-President’s post, both reportedly supported each other because they did not want a candidate from outside the Jat community to win the President’s post in the DUSU elections. Yash Dabas and Deepanshu Shokeen belong to the same Jat community, and their villages are only a few kilometres apart.
So, I believe both have demonstrated strong loyalty toward their own community. However, in politics, such arrangements also raise questions about whether their political alliances can be relied upon in the future, particularly in state and national politics.
Interestingly, NSUI fielded Gopal Choudhary, a Jat from Rajasthan’s Mewar region, for Joint Secretary, but he lost the election.
According to the political calculation described to me, the plan was that Yash Dabas would win the President’s post, while Deepanshu Shokeen would win the Vice-President’s post. The expectation was that the Secretary and Joint Secretary posts would be won by NSUI candidates with support from Jat and Gurjar students. However, both candidates lost.
However, that plan did not work out as expected. Deepanshu Shokeen won the Vice-President’s post as an independent candidate, while ABVP won the President, Secretary, and Joint Secretary posts. NSUI had given Namrata Choudhary, a Gurjar from Karawal Nagar, the ticket for Secretary, and she won.
I strongly believe that some senior Congress or NSUI leaders may not have wanted NSUI’s Vijay Shankar Meena to win the President’s post. If he had won, he could have emerged overnight as a prominent young Adivasi leader in Rajasthan and potentially as an important future tribal leader, given that he is an Adivasi student from Rajasthan belonging to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community.
Therefore, I strongly believe that internal political considerations and possible jealousy toward Vijay Shankar Meena may have played a role. This may be why some senior leaders from Delhi, Haryana, and Rajasthan, as well as student leaders from Rajasthan, may not have actively encouraged Delhi University students to vote for NSUI’s Vijay Shankar Meena in the recently concluded DUSU elections.
As the saying goes, “Par kismat ko kuch aur hi manzoor tha”—destiny had something else in store. Deepanshu Shokeen won the Vice-President’s post as an independent candidate, while ABVP candidates won the President, Secretary, and Joint Secretary posts.
Even though NSUI wanted Jat representation to play a significant role in the DUSU elections, Kanhaiya Kumar reportedly wanted Deepanshu Shokeen to contest for President on an NSUI ticket, given his association with NSUI before he contested as an independent candidate for Vice-President. However, Deepanshu Shokeen reportedly declined the offer.
NSUI subsequently fielded Vijay Shankar Meena, an Adivasi student from Rajasthan belonging to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community, for President, but he lost the election.
For Vice-President, NSUI fielded Vir Chatrath, who belongs to the Punjabi community, but he lost the election by a significant margin. His father, Manish Chatrath, is a Congress member and is in charge of the newly built Congress headquarters, Indira Bhavan, in New Delhi.
There was reportedly unhappiness among some Congress cadres, students, members and leaders over Vir Chatrath receiving the ticket, with some alleging that his candidature was the result of strong lobbying and recommendations from Congress leaders at the AICC headquarters. It was also reported that Vir Chatrath had joined NSUI only around 15 days before the DUSU elections.
At the same time, NSUI fielded Namrata Choudhary, a Gurjar from Karawal Nagar, for Secretary, but she lost, and Gopal Choudhary, a Jat from Rajasthan’s Mewar region, for Joint Secretary, and he also lost.
This is how the Jat-versus-Gurjar political dynamic became a significant part of the recently concluded DUSU elections.
Interestingly, ABVP fielded candidates from four different communities: Yash Dabas, a Jat candidate from Kanjhawala in Delhi’s rural belt, for President, and he won; Ishu Maurya, an OBC candidate from Uttar Pradesh, for Vice-President, but he lost; Riya Chhawadi, a Gurjar from Molarband in South Delhi, for Secretary, and she won; and Lakshya Raj Singh, a Rajput from Rajasthan’s Shekhawati region, for Joint Secretary, and he also won.
Time for something more interesting, ladies and gentlemen. Since I have always said that political party cadres should be listened to first because they often share their views honestly and are the backbone of any political party, I am writing this based on inputs I have received from loyal Congress workers, Rahul Gandhi and late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi supporters, and an All India Congress Committee (AICC) member.
According to the information shared with me, this AICC member started his political career with nothing but now reportedly owns cars worth crores of rupees, including a Defender, as well as other vehicles. While some people call him a leader, if you ask me, I would describe him more as an office clerk.
There are also allegations concerning him that, in the past, bicycles, scooters, sewing machines, wheelchairs, and other items were distributed to needy people at the AICC office on Akbar Road in New Delhi on the occasion of the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary. Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary was also remembered with a major event every year.
However, these activities have reportedly stopped in recent years. Many Congress workers have told me that they believe these activities were discontinued because an AICC member considered them a waste of money.
Many genuine Congress workers, cadres, and people who respect Rajiv Gandhi are reportedly unhappy with this decision. They want bicycles, scooters, sewing machines, wheelchairs, and other useful items to once again be distributed to needy people on the occasion of the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary, as a way of remembering a leader who had a mass following.
Many genuine Congress workers and party cadres are also reportedly unhappy after seeing some party leaders focusing more on themselves rather than working for the party and supporting Rahul Gandhi’s efforts to become the next Prime Minister. However, many cadres allege that some AICC members have their own journalists who work for them and are paid on a monthly basis.
I will not disclose the sources from whom I receive some of this exclusive information. Regardless of the circumstances, I will always support genuine political-party cadres, well-wishers of political parties, and party presidents across political parties who work sincerely for their organisations and their people.
I also heard that an AICC member is allegedly not allowing Congress party cadres to enter the cafeteria at the newly built party headquarters, Indira Bhavan, to have a cup of tea or coffee. But it seems he has forgotten that without cadres, there is no party. No political party can exist without its cadres, because they are the backbone of any political organisation and its leadership.
In contrast, BJP cadres can reportedly access various facilities at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. It seems that this AICC member got everything handed to him on a platter. So, how can he truly understand the Mann Ki Baat of Congress party cadres?
Now I would like to end with a very good example of dedication and contribution to the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi, since he wants to see Rahul Gandhi become the Prime Minister.
I am talking about renowned CA Fareed Ahmad Khan, who works as an ordinary Congress cadre and does everything he can at his own level for the Congress party. The best part is that he always spends money from his own pocket whenever needed.
I would especially appreciate his efforts when the Delhi Kisan Morcha wing was asked to bring around 200 party supporters and Rahul Gandhi supporters for Rahul Gandhi’s Ramlila Maidan rally against alleged “vote chori” on December 14, 2025. He arranged for more than 200 party supporters and Rahul Gandhi supporters, brought them in two buses, and bore all the expenses from his own pocket.
He always tells me, “Sanjeeb, I am doing this without any expectations from the party. I don’t want any position in the party. My only goal is to see Rahul Gandhi become the Prime Minister.”
He is always active and ready to participate in protests and go wherever party members are raising the voices of the people. He also takes care of all the members who accompany him. I mean, he bears all the expenses for the people who join him, even when it is a small party programme with only a limited number of participants.
However, he sometimes feels sad after seeing the politics and groupism among Congress leaders, as he believes some of them are working for themselves rather than for the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi.
CA Fareed Ahmad Khan has also campaigned door-to-door, distributed pamphlets, and put up posters on walls in support of Sandeep Dikshit, who contested the high-profile New Delhi Assembly constituency as the Indian National Congress (INC) candidate in the February 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly elections.
