NEW DELHI: As canvassing came to an end on Wednesday night, it was a regular day for the candidates on Thursday — meeting friends, having chai (tea) in the campus canteens, calling up the freshers, reminding them to come to vote, visiting temples and resorting to social media and cartoons targeting rival student bodies.
Meanwhile, the NSUI held a press conference on Thursday, urging the DU administration and the Delhi Police to ensure fair and transparent DUSU polls.
“We have observed that several RSS-BJP-affiliated professors have attempted to influence the elections,” said NSUI National President Varun Choudhary while raising concerns about the appointment of ABVP and RSS members as electoral officers. However, he expressed confidence about the victory in the DUSU polls, asserting, “We are confident we will win this election 4-0.”
He emphasised that NSUI’s vision is centred on addressing key student issues, such as fee hikes, infrastructural deficiencies, and women’s safety.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), however, remained busy in a cleanliness campaign on the campus. The supporters were seen removing the party posters and banners from the walls and pillars. The candidates including Rishabh Choudhary, Mitravinda, Aman Kapasia and Bhanu Pratap made a special appeal to the DU students to vote 100% in the DUSU polls.
The ABVP also shared that their organisation name was trending on social media with a hashtag, #ABVPforDUSU, where the supporters shared different slogans and vote appeals with the ballot numbers of every candidate.
Besides NSUI and ABVP, the lesser-known outfits contesting for DUSU were also busy approaching students through social media. One of the organisations named Fraternity Movement had uploaded a rap song targeting money and muscle power in politics while the Disha Students Federation was sharing satirical cartoons on social media with a pun on ABVP and NSUI’s political tactics.
The polls will be held on Friday. The votes will be counted on September 28. Voting will take place for day-time classes between 8.30 am and 1 pm and for evening classes from 3pm to 7.30pm.
Traffic advisory
For September 27 and 28, commuters have been advised to avoid certain routes — there is No Entry for commercial vehicles; Chhatra Marg is completely closed for motorists. Several checkposts have been set up within the campus and the counting hall is restricted for the supporters.
Student’s plea to contest secretary post dismissed
The SC on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by DU student Rahul Jhansla, seeking permission to contest for Secretary post in the DUSU polls. Jhansla, an MA student, initially had his nomination cleared for the post. The authorities later dismissed his candidature when he missed the deadline to withdraw his nominations for other positions. The top court said the HC had clarified that the election for the post would be subject to the outcome of Jhansla’s pending plea.
