Campaigning for Delhi University polls ends sans fervour

NEW DELHI - The regular poll fervour was missing from the campaigning for the Delhi University elections which ended Wednesday as students adhered to the official guidelines and eschewed electioneering in cars, using drums and other musical instruments.

Only a handful of posters could be seen, that too at select locations like ‘Wall of Democracy’ opposite the Delhi School of Economics in the North Campus. The elections are scheduled for Friday.

“This is absolutely the way elections should be conducted here. We don’t want the candidates to force themselves on us by playing loud drums in open jeeps. That is a vulgar display of power,” said Abhimanyu Dhoomra, a second year student of Kirori Mal College.

Moreover, to maintain law and order, policemen were on their toes intensively patrolling the campuses on vans, bikes and on foot. Barricades could be seen on major roads.

“The situation is normal and there have been no violent incidents while campaigning. Moreover, police pickets are there in front of colleges and plain clothes policemen are stationed outside all the women’s colleges,” Gopi Nath, station house officer, Maurice Nagar Police Station told IANS.

“We have not received any complaints of flouting of rules by the candidates. The campaigning was done in a peaceful and orderly manner,” Gurmeet Singh, chief election officer, said.

The candidates of the two major students’ organisation are: Harish Choudhary of National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and Jitender Chaudhary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for the president’s post; Vardhan Chaudhary (NSUI) and Priya Dabas (ABVP) for vice-president’s post; Deepika Deshwal (NSUI) and Neetu Dabas (ABVP) for secretary’s post; and Akshay Kumar (NSUI) and Saurabh Uniyal (ABVP) for joint secretary’s post.

The candidates agreed with and wholly supported the Election Office guidelines.

Jitender Chaudhary said: “We fully support the guidelines set by the Election Office. There is no place of muscle flexing in university elections. Everybody should refrain from such show off.”

“Banning of dhols (drums) and vehicles is not going to affect us. We fight and win elections on our ideology and all of us are effectively campaigning,” Vardhan Chaudhary said.

Almost all the major student outfits, including the two major rivals ABVP and NSUI, are against the semester system that is supposed to be introduced in Delhi University in the coming days.

The issue figures in both of their manifestos. The NSUI is of the view that the infrastructure and human resource in the varsity are not in a state to be able to implement the semester system.

Jitender Chaudhary said: “Already, there is so much of delay in the results of annual exams. Just imagine what will happen under the semester system?”

“There should be a solution fast because the issue is affecting the studies of the students,” he added.

Shweta Raj and Sunand, presidential candidates from All India Students Association and Students Federation of India, respectively, are also vehemently against the semester system.

Established in 1922, Delhi University is a premier varsity of India. It has 14 faculties, 86 academic departments and 79 colleges with over 200,000 students from within and outside the country.