DU, JNU students vote to elect their union leaders

Students turned out in large numbers on Friday to vote in the Delhi University (DU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students' union polls which will test the fortunes of over 50 candidates in the two campuses.

Students turned out in large numbers on Friday to vote in the Delhi University (DU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students' union polls which will test the fortunes of over 50 candidates in the two campuses.

Students stand in queue to cast their votes during the DUSU elections at Miranda House, North Campus in New Delhi on Friday. (Sushil Kumar/ HT photo)

Polling for the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) which began at 8.30am finished at 12.30pm for students of the morning shift. For evening students, voting began at 3pm and continued till 7pm.

Students say they want a rollback of the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) and proper hostel facilities.

"I did not vote for the party which made tall promises. My vote has gone to those who will address small issues like hostels and washrooms in the campus," said Aayushi, a first-year student at Ramjas College.

Watch:Voting in progress in DUSU, JNUSU polls

While the political contest at DU has been between Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and BJP's Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) over the decades, buoyed by its victory in the assembly polls the Aam Aadmi Party has also fielded candidates from its students' wing, Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS).

Another new entry in the DUSU polls this year is the Shiromani Akali Dal's youth wing, Students' Organisation of India (SOI). Left-backed All India Students Association (AISA) and All India Students Federation (AISF) have also fielded their candidates.

A total of 35 candidates are in the fray for the four posts of DUSU office-bearers. While nine candidates are in the race for the post of president, eight nominations have been validated for the post of vice-president. The number of students contesting for the secretary and joint secretary post is 10 and eight respectively.

With a total of 1,35,298 voters, voting took place across 42 colleges of the university and 700 EVMs were used for the purpose.

In the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) polls, 22 candidates are testing their electoral fortunes. The candidates are contesting for the central panel which includes president, vice-president, general secretary and joint secretary.

Another 83 candidates are also in the fray for the posts of councillors at all the centres of the university.

In JNUSU elections, parties contesting the elections include AISA, AISF, ABVP, NSUI, SFI, Democratic Student's Federation (DSF) and Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA).

Last year, the DUSU polls were swept by the ABVP which trounced the NSUI to bag all four positions. In JNU, AISA had bagged all the top four positions, including the president's post, for the second consecutive year in 2014.

Unlike DU, JNU resorts to voting through ballot papers and offers the None of the Above (NOTA) option to its voters.

(With agencies inputs)