DUSU elections in Sept after 3-year gap

The VC also appointed principals of colleges and heads of institutions as office bearers and members of the council

The Delhi University will hold its student union elections in the third week of September, three years after they were halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, varsity officials said on Sunday.

In preparation for the elections, student leaders have started putting up flyers and posters at North Campus. (HT Archive)

DU registrar Vikas Gupta said, “We will notify the dates of the student union elections once college reopens on August 16. It has tentatively been scheduled for the third week of September.”

A university notification dated August 1 said that vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh had appointed office bearers and members for the central council of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), that will oversee the election procedure, for the year 2023-24. The VC also appointed principals of colleges and heads of institutions as office bearers and members of the council, in their respective colleges

Professor Chandra Shekhar, who is serving as the chief election officer, said, “The elections are generally held within 6-8 weeks of the colleges opening. The entire process takes around 10-12 days and elections will be held via electronic voting machines (EVMs).”

Akshit Dahiya, from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) who is the current DUSU president, said, “Over the next few days, we will be coming out with a tentative list of around 12-15 student leaders, after which four will be shortlisted to stand for the posts of president, vice-president, secretary and joint secretary.” He added that they will also start spreading awareness on the election procedure soon.

Sumit Kataria, former President of Students’ Federation of India (SFI) said, “SFI will soon come up with a list of names of probable candidates and will raise concerns over accommodation, and other issues that affect students on a daily basis.”

Abhigyan, president of All India Students’ Association (AISA), said the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) is one of the major concerns that they will be raising while campaigning.

Meanwhile the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) elections have been scheduled for September 27. According to the election schedule, the filing of nominations for teachers will take place on September 19 and 20. The final list of candidates will be published on September 21. The elections are set to take place in the Arts Building complex and Satyakam Bhawan in DU’s north campus.

On August 12, various teachers’ groups such as Democratic Teachers’ Front came together to form a Democratic United Teachers’ Alliance. These included Congress’s Indian National Teachers’ Congress, AAP’s Academic for Action and Development Teachers Association, and Democratic Teachers’ Front, among others. They announced that Aditya Narayan Misra will run as a candidate for the post of DUTA president.

AK Bhagi from National Democratic Teachers’ Front is currently serving as the DUTA president.