NEW DELHI: After a nearly two-month delay, the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) 2024 election results are going to be declared on November 21, according to a university official.
Initially, the results were scheduled for September 28 but were delayed due to defacement issues that prompted judicial intervention.
The elections were held on September 27. Out of 1.45 lakh eligible voters, 51,379 students cast their votes this year, marking the lowest turnout in at least 10 years.
The election resulted in widespread defacement of public spaces by campaigning materials. The Delhi High Court (HC) took cognisance of the matter and stayed the results until all defacement issues were addressed.
However, the HC, in a ruling on Monday, conditionally lifted the stay, allowing the counting to proceed if all campaign-related defacement was cleaned up. The court has allowed the university to announce the results on or before November 26, contingent on these conditions.The DU official said, “Preparations are underway for the November 21 counting. Most of the cleaning work has already been completed. The EVMs and ballot papers will be opened in the presence of the Election Commission’s team to maintain transparency.”
Vote counting in morning
According to another official, the vote counting for both the central panel and college representatives will start at 8:30 am on November 21 at the DU Conference Centre in the presence of an Election Commission (EC) team. The electronic voting machines (EVMs) have been stored in a strong room in the examination department, monitored round the clock by a police team. The ballot boxes have been kept safe in individual colleges.
Voting for DUSU’s central panel, which includes the
posts of president, vice president, secretary, and joint secretary, was conducted using EVMs, while ballot papers were used for electing college representatives.