Student union bodies have fielded Gujjar, Jats to garner maximum votes; Special thalis, accommodation are key promises
The Delhi University Students’Union (DUSU) elections this year will witness a three-pronged fight between old arch-rivals National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), as Aam Aadmi Party’s student wing Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) also tries to revive its fortunes after two years, with Left-backed All India Students Association (AISA) in tow. Final preparations in place, over 1.4 lakh students will exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 23 candidates who have sold promises of special thali and affordable accommodation among others, to them over the past two weeks.
Caste cauldron
Not departing from the accepted practice of fielding candidates on the basis of caste, the parties have stirred caste cauldron this year. They have carefully pitched Gujjars and Jats --- two dominant local communities, in the fray to garner maximum votes. NSUI panel has two Jat faces --- Sunny Chhilar for the post of president and Aakash Choudhary as a secretarial candidate. Maintaining the caste balance, they also have one from the Scheduled Tribe, Leena as vice-president and Saurabh Yadav, an OBC(Other Backward Class) for joint secretary. On the other hand, Gujjars dominate ABVP’s list joined by a Jat and a Rajput. Contesting for the post of president and secretary, Ankiv Baisoya and Sudhir Dedha are Gujjars.
Jyoti Singh who has been fielded for joint secretary is a Jat while Shakti Singh, a Rajput is contesting for secretary. Only AISA-CYSS alliance has roped in a Purvanchali, Chandramani Dev, to hold sway over vote bank of outstation students. Dev is representing AISA-CYSS alliance as secretary. Abhigyan Devyani, Anshika Singh and Sunny Tanwar complete the frame with president, vice president and joint secretary slots. Interestingly, all the four ABVP candidates are pursuing masters in Buddhist Studies, while NSUI and AISA-CYSS have none.
Manifesting better campus
All the parties boast of manifesto that touch upon “real” issues faced by students, spinning a yarn around concessional fee, world class infrastructure, women safety among others. The main highlights of NSUI’s demands are free laptops to varsity students and subsidised meal thali for Rs 10. It has also promised Institute of Eminence status for DU and concessional students’pass in Delhi Metro and DTC buses.
ABVP and AISA-CYSS both have women’s safety as a poll plank. AISA-CYSS vice president candidate Ankita Singh has promised to personally pursue setting up of sanitary napkin vending machines across all colleges in the campus. Ending hooliganism is also part of their agenda while Baisoya announced spending more than 50 per cent of DUSU’s budget women and social justice related activities.
- 1.4lakh students to cast their ballot
- 23 candidates, five women
- Polling from 8:30 to 1PM and 3PM to 7:30PM
- 53 colleges as polling stations, 760EVMs
- Last year turnout 42.8%
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