Clashes, security ahead of final day before DUSU polls

This year carries particular weight due to a massive case of defacement led the Delhi High Court to withhold results for two months in 2023, sparking calls for a more disciplined process.

With 48 hours to go for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, the campus was abuzz on Tuesday with the final round of campaigning, heavy police deployment, scattered clashes, and the inevitable accusations of violations.

Election campaign posters plastered on a wall at DU’s North Campus. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The high-octane contest for the DUSU central panel – comprising president, vice president, secretary and joint secretary – is shaping up as a direct face-off between the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI).

The Left bloc, represented by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) in alliance with the All India Students Association (AISA), will hope to spring a surprise in a race. To be sure, SFI last won a seat on the DUSU panel in 1979.

This year carries particular weight due to a massive case of defacement led the Delhi High Court to withhold results for two months in 2023, sparking calls for a more disciplined process. The university has since promised “green and clean” polls, but Tuesday’s scenes showed how fragile that promise is.

The results will be declared on Friday day. Around 700 electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used for the central panel posts, while elections for college-level counsellors will be conducted via paper ballots, officials said.

The contenders

The election has already made history of sorts: both NSUI and the Left alliance have fielded women for the president’s post, a seat not held by a woman since 2008. NSUI’s candidate is Joslyn Nandita Choudhary, while SFI-AISA has nominated Anjali.

The manifesto of NSUI – which currently holds the posts of president and secretary – highlights affordable education, infrastructure for differently abled students, monthly allowances for students with disabilities, and measures for women’s safety, including helpline numbers and sanitary pad vending machines. The group has also promised menstrual health awareness campaigns and opposed the National Education Policy (NEP), calling for increased public funding.

ABVP, which said it has crowdsourced over 5,000 suggestions, has promised subsidised health insurance, better sports facilities with nutritional support, free Wi-Fi across the university, accessibility audits, and greater funding for cultural and academic societies. ABVP currently holds the posts of vice president and secretary.

The SFI-AISA alliance has released what it calls a “student-centric manifesto,” pledging to fight fee hikes, restore course credits, among others.

Clashes at KMC

Tensions flared on Tuesday. At Kirori Mal College, students from NSUI and ABVP clashed briefly ahead of Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai’s campus visit.

NSUI alleged that its Purvanchal supporters were attacked in an attempt to disrupt the event. “This exposes ABVP’s deep-rooted hatred towards Purvanchal students,” the group said in a statement. ABVP countered by accusing NSUI of internal infighting and of “blaming others as their campaign flounders.”

KMC principal Dinesh Khattar said the college locked its gates during the commotion. “The police were right outside and helped calm the situation,” he said.

Preparations

The university election committee has emphasised strict vigilance and zero tolerance for defacement this year. Police presence on campus was striking on Tuesday, with barricades between the Science and Arts faculties, personnel carrying batons and tear gas, and even body cameras to record activity. About 500 police and paramilitary personnel will remain deployed until the polls conclude.

Chief election officer Raj Kishore Sharma said the open nature of the campus remained a challenge. “We cannot stop outsiders from loitering, but constant police presence is in place. Footage from body cameras will be analysed if required,” he said.

The committee has already issued nine show-cause notices to seven candidates for violations. Sharma stressed that their approach is “educative, not punitive.” “Cancelling someone’s candidature is easy,” he said. “What we want is to restore order and reputation to student elections.”

Police have also issued over 500 challans for rash driving and tinted windows, while the court has warned that any fresh violation could amount to contempt.

Some flyers and posters were still visible on campus Tuesday despite the “clean” poll pledge. Officials said complaints were also streaming in through an online portal, though many turned out to be false.

Adding to concerns, the DU proctor’s office issued an advisory after reports that candidates were luring students with outings to malls and amusement parks. Colleges were directed to maintain “strict vigilance.”

At Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, however, the administration took a more creative route to encourage turnout – offering attendance for five lectures to every student who votes. The college is also setting up a “pink booth.”