AAP’s student wing won’t contest DUSU polls this year

The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) student wing, the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), will not contest student elections in Delhi University this year.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) student wing, the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), will not contest student elections in Delhi University this year.

The Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) will launch a campaign against the ‘muscle and money’ power that dominate student elections in the university. (Arun Sharma/HT FIle)

It will, instead, launch a campaign against the ‘muscle and money’ power that dominate student elections in the university.

“Give us a fair mechanism, a body that will genuinely monitor university elections, and we will contest. But that framework does not exist right now. Despite a complete ban, motorcades do rounds in the university before the elections. Everyone sees this, everyone knows this but the university officials don’t do anything about it,” said CYSS Delhi state secretary Anmol Pawar.

According to AAP leaders, despite the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, student elections remain a largely corrupt affair, with money flowing like water.

“State elections are better monitored. Every step of the candidate, every expense is meticulously logged in. If this can happen in state elections, why can’t it happen in student elections,” said a senior leader.

AAP and CYSS leaders pointed at how four student members were allegedly roughed up and beaten in the past three years.

“The university authorities are not interested in even touching university elections. They want things to go on as they are. We want sweeping changes and a serious implementation of the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines,” said Anupam Kumar Yadav, Delhi state president, CYSS.

The student party may however contest college-level elections. “While no final decision has been taken, we will try and contest,” said Yadav.

Some party leaders said there is another reason the CYSS will not contest DU elections. “The organisation is not as strong as we would have liked and we felt it was not the right time to contest, especially when the election process is not fair,” a senior CYSS leader said.

The CYSS had contested the students’ union elections last year but the results weren’t too enthusing. Out of four positions, the student outfit managed to come in second in one, third in two and fourth in one.