Jantar Mantar protest and Gen Z issues set to shape DUSU poll campaign

PTI, August 13, 2026, New Delhi: From the recent student mobilisation at Jantar Mantar to demands over admissions, metro concessions and access to education, issues that have fuelled Delhi's campus protests are set to find their way into the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) election campaign, with student organisations gearing up for the September 18 polls.

The university on Thursday announced that DUSU elections for the 2026-27 academic session will be held on September 18, with counting scheduled for the next day. The last date for filing nominations is September 10.

The announcement has given student groups a formal timeline to turn their recent campus mobilisation into election campaigns, with organisations expected to intensify outreach across colleges in the coming weeks.

The recent protests at Jantar Mantar, which centred on issues concerning the National Testing Agency (NTA), admissions and access to education, have provided a backdrop to the election preparations.

Student groups say a new generation of students, often described as Gen Z, is increasingly raising concerns that go beyond traditional campus politics, including affordability, employment, access to higher education, examination systems and everyday mobility.

Anjali, DU secretary of the All India Students' Association (AISA), had said the recent Jantar Mantar mobilisation could provide the basis for a broader alliance among Left student organisations.

"There is a common enemy, as we have seen in the recent Jantar Mantar protests. We are hoping that there will be a Left alliance between AISA and SFI like last year, so that we can carry forward the values of the recent student protests," she had said.

AISA's broader demands include the rollback of the National Education Policy and disbanding of the NTA, while its leaders have indicated that the DUSU campaign would focus more closely on issues raised by DU students.

For the Congress-backed National Students' Union of India (NSUI), admission-related concerns, availability of seats and courses, and recurring demands such as metro concessions are likely to feature prominently.

A DU activist associated with the NSUI said there had been "chaos" over seats, courses and other issues and that the recent protests and hunger strike had demonstrated students' ability to mobilise around their demands.

The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is also assessing issues at the college level before finalising its campaign strategy, with its focus expected to remain on issues affecting students' everyday academic and campus life.