DU students vote to elect new union

Delhi University students today cast their votes to elect a new union in a poll which will decide the fate of 41 candidates. Tight security arrangements have been put in place and Electronic Voting Machines were used for the polling.

Delhi University students on Friday cast their votes to elect a new union in a poll which will decide the fate of 41 candidates.

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Tight security arrangements have been put in place and Electronic Voting Machines were used for the polling.

"As many as 943 EVMs have been pressed into service. There are 111 centres for the college elections and 130 for DUSU," said Chief Electoral Officer Gurmeet Singh.

A total of 11 candidates are contesting for the post of DUSU president in the election, while 30 other candidates are vying for the three posts of Vice President, Secretary and Joint Secretary.

In coordination with Delhi Police, security arrangements have also been made, and a police picket will be in place outside every college where centers are located.

With strict norm of election in place in line with the Lyngdoh committee recommendations for polls for students union, the election campaign was without much fervour this time.

Add to it the fact that as many as seven candidates were disqualified last year for violating election norms, the parties and candidates in fray were extra cautious this time.

Posters, printed material and stickers were not allowed this time, as also the code of conduct enforced a strict ban on using vehicles or animals for campaigning or loudspeakers.

Among the candidates in fray are Harish Choudhary, a student of SGBT Khalsa College, who is NSUI's candidate for the post of president, and Jitender Choudhary of MA (Budhist Studies) from the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad.

Also testing the electoral waters is Aparajitha Raja, a second year student of Hindu college, who incidentally is the daughter of CPI leaders D Raja and Annie Raja. She is contesting from the All India Students Federation.

Last year, an independent candidate had won the post of DUSU President after a gap of 18 years following the disqualification of the NSUI and ABVP candidates.