NEW DELHI: Canvassing for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections ended on Thursday morning, with candidates meeting friends, having chai at campus canteens, calling freshers to remind them to vote, visiting temples, and using social media and cartoons targeting rivals.
While no major traffic jams were reported on campus, roads were littered with leftover posters and party stickers. Several unofficial predictions went viral, including one suggesting a 48 per cent probability of Yash Dabas securing the presidential post in the DUSU central panel.
The National Students’ Union of India on Thursday held a ‘Taali-Thali march’ from its headquarters at Raisina Road to Jantar Mantar, raising issues concerning students and the Delhi University community. Led by NSUI national president Vinod Jakhar, the march began at 2 pm from the organisation’s headquarters at 5 Raisina Road, according to NSUI.
Meanwhile, claiming a 4-0 sweep in the DUSU polls, ABVP National General Secretary Dr Virendra Singh Solanki said at a press conference on Thursday before voting: “The strength of ABVP in Delhi University lies in its students.
Our workers stay among students throughout the year and work on their issues. Even before the elections, we maintained constant engagement through programmes and campaigns.
Therefore, students know who stands with them on the ground and who appears only during elections. NSUI has lost its base on campus and is now trying to run its campaign with the help of outsiders.
The presence of Indian Youth Congress national president Uday Bhanu Chib and Congress national spokesperson Ragini Nayak campaigning inside classrooms for NSUI is an example of external political interference.
Our contest is not only with NSUI, ASAP and other student organisations, but also with the entire Congress political machinery, including the IYC, Seva Dal and others active in this election.”
Besides NSUI and ABVP, lesser-known DUSU outfits were approaching students through social media. Fraternity Movement uploaded a rap song targeting money and muscle power in politics, while the Disha Students Federation shared satirical cartoons.