NEW DELHI:With Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS)—the student wing of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)— making its debut in the election for the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU), it will be a triangular contest this year.
Campaigning for the September 11 election will be over a couple of days before. The AAP-backed union has been able to grab the attention of the 50-odd colleges affiliated to Delhi University. But even then, it faces a tough road ahead. Many youngsters are wary of the party adopting political strategies akin to those of the BJP-backed Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Congress’s student wing National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), in spite of AAP’s claims to be different.
CYSS has put up posters and hoardings proclaiming, “For a corruption free India, join CYSS” across North Campus. In a style reminiscent of the Delhi Assembly polls, the party has also taken over three bus shelters, covering them with posters of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal beckoning students to join the party. The union claims to have the support of around 28,000 members.
If AAP is betting on brand Kejriwal, then ABVP has a new trick up its sleeve. It roped in Nirbhaya’s parents, Badri Singh and Asha Devi, to talk on the December 16 gang-rape case not making any progress in the Supreme Court and the increasing crimes against women. The union held a silent march to attract female voters.
With barely a few days left for the polls, all parties have begun their pre-election campaigning, with their state and college teams talking to students, giving demonstrations and distributing manifestoes.
Not to be left behind, Congress-backed NSUI will soon hit the streets. The party has finalised seven candidates, including two girls, and has started their orientation. The union had suffered a bitter defeat last year, losing all its seats.
Criticising CYSS, NSUI’s Delhi secretary Abhinav Tiwari told The Sunday Standard that the AAP union is actually misleading the students. “AAP is doing the same thing what they did in Assembly polls, making a fool out of people. They are making false promises to students and using people from outside to campaign in the student union polls,” Tiwari said.
CYSS put up posters on two special buses for the university’s north and south campuses that were flagged off by Transport Minister Gopal Rai on Friday. The union drew flak from both the parties for this. “They are government-run buses; everyone benefits from it. Why should one party get the credit for it? This is how badly they want votes,” said Tiwari.
ABVP State Secretary Saket Bahuguna said, “This is an open misuse of government machinery by Kejriwal. It’s really shameful that they have put CYSS banner and stickers on a government-run bus.” Bahuguna also alleged that such efforts are only demeaning the values and spirit of students’ politics. “Such misuse of political and money power is politicising the campus and demeaning the values and spirit of student’s politics. We never put such billboards and posters,” he claimed.
Justifying its actions, vice-president of CYSS Anmol Pawar said, “We are talking to students on various issues faced by them. ABVP did nothing when they were in power, NSUI does not have any agenda and is confused, so CYSS is the alternative.”
To attract students, CYSS conducted an anti-swine flu campaign and came up with a ‘Selfie with leaders’ where students could take pictures with Gul Panag and Vishal Dadlani. It took out a Tiranga March on the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Rajguru.
Key Issues
■ The Purvanchali (eastern) voters will play an important role. More than half of the students are Purvanchalis, whom the parties are wooing
■ The demand to set up better hostel facilities has been taken up by all the unions
■ Women empowerment and safety of students will also have a role to play.