RSS-backed National Democratic Teachers Front retains DUTA president post

The RSS-backed National Democratic Teachers Front candidate AK Bhagi on Thursday retained the post of Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) president, defeating Democratic United Teachers' Alliance candidate Aditya Narayan Mishra.

While Bhagi polled 4,182 votes, Mishra got 3,787 votes. A total of 8,187 out of 9,500 eligible voters exercised their franchise in the polling held on Wednesday.

This time, around nine teachers' organisations of different ideologies came together to form the 'Democratic United Teachers' Alliance'. It includes the Democratic Teachers' Front, AAP-backed Academic for Action and Development Delhi Teachers' Association, Indian National Teachers Congress, Delhi Teachers’ Initiative, Samajwadi Shikshak Manch, Common Teachers’ Front, Independent Teachers’ Front for Social Justice and 'Voice of DU Ad Hocs'.

While the National Democratic Teachers Front had won the DUTA elections in 2021, the Democratic Teachers' Front had won the polls five times in a row before 2021.