College Elections Archives - DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

While the University Officials work on finalizing the dates, student leaders have started preparing for their election campaigns.

The student elections at Delhi University are scheduled to take place in September. The Delhi University Students Union is the representative body that stands for the majority of colleges and faculties’ students. Aside from this, elections are also held each year for the students union at every college. The Delhi University Students Union is elected directly by the university’s and its member colleges’ students. Every year, the elections are typically held in August or September. Occurring every four years, it was last held in 2019, and was halted as a result of the Corona virus pandemic and its effects on the academic calendar.

Officials from the university stated earlier in July that election preparations will begin as soon as the university finished the admissions process for the upcoming session. Although the date has not yet been confirmed, DU registrar Vikas Gupta stated that it would be announced shortly and that one may anticipate it to happen in the final week of September.

Vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh, who will oversee the election process, named office bearers and members for the central council of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) for the academic year 2023–2024, according to a University announcement dated August 1. The VC also appointed college principals and heads of institutions to serve as office holders and council members in their respective colleges. The chief election officer, Professor Chandra Shekhar, has stated that the employing of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be done during the entire election process, which is expected to last between 10 and 12 days. In 2019, the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) gained three seats, while the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) gained one. Akshat Dahiya of the ABVP served as President, Pradeep Tanwar as Vice President, Ashish Lamba as Secretary, and Shivangi Karwal as Joint Secretary for the 2019–20 term.

Elections will be held for all four of these positions once again this year. All around the University, especially in the North Campus, preparations are being made for the same. While student leaders are planning, students are actively responding. The current president of the ABVP, Akshat Dahiya, states that they are getting ready to nominate their student leaders and will also begin disseminating information about the election procedure for students. Additionally, other organisations like the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) are prepared to start their election campaigns. The previous president of SFI says that they will focus on issues that are specific to students, such as accommodation and other problems that students have on a daily basis, whereas ABVP will centre their election campaign on the four-year undergraduate programme, FYUP. In the meantime, the elections for the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) have been set for September 27. The election calendar states that teacher nominations must be submitted by September 1. At the north campus of DU, the Arts Building complex and Satyakam Bhawan will serve as the locations for the voting.

On August 12, a number of teachers’ organizations, including the Democratic Teachers’ Front, merged to form the Democratic United Teachers’ Alliance. Among them were the Democratic Teachers’ Front, the Academic for Action and Development Teachers Association, and the Indian National Teachers’ Congress, which is a branch of the Congress. They declared Aditya Narayan Misra as a potential candidate for the position of DUTA president.

The University of Delhi student elections are unique and prominent, adding to the capital’s already politically charged climate. These elections hold value for the future of the University and also reflect student sentiments.

Read Also : https://dubeat.com/2023/07/12/dusu-launches-one-day-dusu-presidents-scheme/
Image Credits : Telegraph India

Priya Agrawal

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Former DUSU Presidents In Fray For Delhi Assembly Elections 2020

By DU Beat January 23, 2020

Six former Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) Presidents will be competing against each other on the day of Delhi Assembly Elections 2020 that is 8^th February. Among these six former Presidents, three have been fielded by the Congress and the remaining three by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Delhi University Students Union elections had unanimously paved way for some of the former DUSU Presidents into mainstream politics of our country. For Delhi Assembly Elections 2020, the Congress has given tickets to Rocky Tuseed, Alka Lamba, and Neetu Verma Soin. In addition, Tuseed, 25, is the youngest candidate this time and he claimed to have gained recognition all over the country when he became the DUSU President in the session 2017-2018.

Tuseed has around 500 people working for his campaign currently. During his tenure as DUSU President, he faced many obstacles that were finally resolved when he was reinstated as the union’s President after being disqualified over a pending inquiry against him.

Ashish Sood, Rekha Gupta, and Anil Jha are the three former DUSU Presidents that have been fielded by the BJP for Delhi Assembly Elections 2020. Jha was DUSU President in 1997-1998, contesting from RSS-affiliated ABVP, which acted as a stepping-stone for his mainstream political career. He stated that the Varsity politics helped him in gaining insight and trained him for mainstream politics.

Alka Lamba and Rekha Gupta were DUSU Presidents in 1995-96 and 1996-97 respectively. Lamba, a member of the Congress, will be contesting the elections from Chandni Chowk. Also, the DUSU President of 2008, Nupur Sharma, will be contesting from New Delhi constituency. Neetu Verma Soin, Congress’ candidate from Malviya Nagar had won DUSU polls and was a student of Miranda House College. In 2002, due to her political achievements within DU, she served as the councillor from Civil Lines as well as DUSU President.

The DUSU elections have given us several infamous political leaders as their journeys began from the University itself. Some of these leaders are Arun Jaitley, Nupur Sharma, Alka Lamba, and Vijay Jolly.

Featured Image Credits: Scroll

Suhani Malhotra

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Campus Central

Hindu College’s Annual Prime Ministerial Debate asks ‘Iss Baar Kiski Sarkaar?’

By Sakshi Arora September 10, 2019

Atal Bihari Vajpayee once said, “There are only two Prime Ministers in India- one who sits in Parliament and another who sits in Hindu College.” The College Parliament is a student body that enriches the higher education experience for Hindu College students by exposing them to new frontiers and paradigms of education, discussion, and debate. Officially known as the Parliament of the Republic of Hindu College, it is a historic student body that aims at active student participation in running the College.

On 9th September, continuing the 83 years old legacy, the Symposium Society of Hindu College conducted the Annual Prime Ministerial debate, as a part of the ongoing campaigning for the college elections. The four candidates, namely Aman Malik, Ashish Kumar, Benna Fathima K. and Sanya Khurana, fighting for the apex position in the college’s Parliament (the only one of its kind in the whole of the University) were given a platform to present their ideas, visions, and agendas in front of the whole college. Each candidate was given ten minutes to speak, which was followed by a Question Answer session – where one question for each candidate was entertained from the audience, and the candidates were allowed to ask one question to any other candidate. Apart from the students (known as the members of the Parliament of Hindu College), the President, the Speaker, and the Marshal of the House were also present. Moreover, this is the first time in the history of Hindu College that one can see two female Prime Ministerial Candidates standing up for the post. Also, the Hindu Progressive Front led by Benna Fathima is the new key player among all four panels. The crowd was rapt in attention and charged with energy, the heat of the summer not deterring their support and voice for their panels. It was a highly successful event and the students left the venue with a much clearer picture of all the four candidates.

Shankar Tripathi, the President of The Symposium Society said, “We had special infrastructural bindings this year, since we didn’t have a fixed place to conduct the debate. The administration pitched in and we could conduct the debate out in the open, and I’m glad, even with all the heat and no seating arrangement for the students, there wasn’t any ruckus created. It’s safe to say that this was one of the most smoothly operated events even with all of the crowd going crazy for their candidates, and one of the biggest debates in terms of scale – all thanks to the society members and the crowd. I wish all the candidates the very best for the voting day”

Aman Malik, a Candidate for the post of Prime Minister, stated, – “My speech wasn’t a monologue, it was dialogue because the audience (my fellow students) were high spirited and exceedingly appreciative and motivated me to be where I was.”

Srijan Rai, a second-year student from B.A. (Honours) Political Science shared, “The intensity of the competition has certainly declined. Last year there was intense competition between all the five candidates, however this year the intensity of the competition was less. This is mainly due to the de politicisation brought in by several administrative measures. Secondly, this year owing to the rise in personality politics a single candidate emerged as the better one while last year even after the PM debate the people had difficulty in choosing the better candidate. Each year the PM debate evolves as the politics in Hindu evolves and the PM debate of this year was definitely one of a kind.”

Hindu is known for the platform it offers to the students to witness Indian Politics firsthand. The anticipation of ‘Who will win?’, ‘Who will lose?’, and ‘What this transpires into?’ will only settle on 12^th September, the day all the students get to vote for their favoured candidates.

Feature Image Credits: Swareena for Vivre (Photography Society, Hindu College)

Bhagyashree Chatterjee

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Hegemony in College Elections

By DU Beat September 16, 2017

What are the factors affecting college elections and how they put the average student with political aspirations at a disadvantage?

It is important to keep in mind that student life and the functioning of a college is largely influenced by the elected student representatives. These members wield immense power over the day-to-day functioning of the college. They have an essential say in everything ranging from the cultural events to be organized, the fests, facilities offered to students and more. For a lot of students, this is an opportunity to actively participate in student governance, and have a say in how the administration runs. It is important to keep into account that in politics, the beam always tilts heavily towards the side that has money, muscle power and influence at its disposal.

And while it would have been naïve to assume that college elections in the University of Delhi (DU) are free from these influences, the extent of power these factors exert is shocking.

1) Hostellers vs Day scholars

It seems that in the College union elections, the beam always tilts heavily towards hostellers. Student’s studying in DU College’s that have both a hostel and elected students union know that in most cases, as far as elections are concerned, hostellers are at an added advantage. They have the benefit of not just being physically present on the campus at all times which allows them to contribute effectively and easily for the college welfare but also gain traction over scholars over the same. The fact that they are present in college at all times allows them to participate more actively in college activities. Hosteller’s also had a closely knit network and support group which opens up more avenues for them. The relevance of being a hosteller is particularly more in college’s that are not affiliated to DUSU, since this reduces the influence of political groups. Sanchita from the Daulat Ram College Hostel says “ day scholars are at a disadvantage because they can’t be present on campus 24*7. Hostellers are more available during fest season and other events which puts them at an advantage”

2) Student political groups

Another major factor influencing college elections is the association with parent parties and organizations that help create background support. Recently Chattra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti, Aam Aadmi Party’s student wing won 25 seats out of the 28 seats it fielded its candidates on, across DU. ABVP and NSUI are key players in these elections. A lot of support from parent parties is covert and goes into the background. Building traction, getting contacts, organizational support during the campaigning period are all ways in which these parties contribute and influence college elections. While this kind of backing may not be very public and may seem irrelevant, it ends up influencing elections in a major way. It is especially relevant in Delhi University Student’s Union (DUSU) affiliated colleges, where student political groups help leaders in their campaign to win college elections and subsequently these students help them in DUSU elections. It is a symbiotic relationship that benefits both the parties into gaining supporters.

3) Regional sentiment

Regional sentiment plays a significant role in these elections. A student belonging to a particular region is more likely to support a candidate from the same place. Not just that the idea of community and regional pride runs deep in the conscience of the majority. Recently a video was seen on social media which showed the celebrations post the victory of Shivam Bhadana as the President of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College Morning. The victory was seen as not just the candidate’s but also his community’s, it seemed. Statements like #GurjarPower and “Gurjar is king “could be seen in the comments section, which showed how relevant community lines are for a lot of voters. Student politics does not exist in isolation and the kind of regional sentiment that is central in all aspects of national politics, cannot miraculously be absent from universities. A source from KMC that chose to stay anonymous says “This regional idea is very internal, it’s not really broadcasted with people saying things like- we are from Haryana or we are from UP, but it’s there and it has a big role to play”.

4) Wealth

A bevy of SUVs, music, crackers to celebrate victory and the occasional brightly coloured sports car is a frequent sight at off-campus colleges during election season. Candidates charm voters by their army of loyal supporters, their flashy automobiles and the slogans, drums, and claps that accompany them, each attesting to their popularity and influence. These shiny toys come with a shock value and they provide the student body all the more reasons to talk about the candidate. It is an effective way to generate interest and grab eyeballs. To add to that election costs include the cost of posters, hoardings, pamphlets and more. These banners and hoardings are ripped out and damaged by rival candidates and their supporters and need to be replaced regularly. These additional costs that come with contesting and winning elections acts as a barrier that filters out the majority of students. It is a primary reason why student unions’ are not as effective as they ideally should be. These candidates, with wealth and resources at their disposal, may not always be able to comprehend and relate to the struggles of the average student, which makes them ineffective as leaders. Students with an active interest in politics and a desire to contribute to change are dissuaded from pursuing it because more often than not, these factors passively work against them. A lot of debate has been going about around the idea that student politics has somehow lost its relevance. Student politics has not and will not lose its relevance but it has become ineffective and the marginal benefits gained from it are continuously decreasing. The first step to making it more effective would be realising how it has become an elite institution which heavily favours a small group of students, where everybody does not stand an equal chance. Once this insight is present in the student body at large, they will be less likely to fall prey to tried-and-tested election campaigning tricks and this would allow more dedicated students with political aspirations to pursue their goals.

Feature image credits: Facebook page of Shivam Bhadana

Kinjal Pandey

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Relevance of the Student Union

By DU Beat August 29, 2016

As the elections inch closer and the level of chaos, cacophony and flyers only rise, a lot of you will find yourself asking this question – Why do we even have elections? While your question is entirely justified given the situations that arise every election season; disruption of classes, blind and unmindful wastage of paper and the rising decibel levels, having a student union has its own benefits.

The Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) was established early on as a representative body whose aim was to highlight and protect students’ interests. It is one of the largest student political bodies in the country.

While DUSU might come with its fair share of problems, as a student of Delhi University, I am extremely appreciative of having a body like this in place. Having a union in place makes it easier for students to raise their voices against the unfair practices and issues faced by them in colleges. A huge win for the collective political system of Delhi University in recent history has been the rollback of the FYUP system.

Moreover, a functioning union also helps in bridging the gap between the faculty and students. These benefits don’t just apply to DUSU but to the individual college unions as well. Just last semester, mid-semester exams in SGTB Khalsa College were postponed due to the collective efforts of the college union and, pleas and uproar from the students.

Many colleges around the country do not have any union in place and are restricted from forming any.
For raising issues and to protect the welfare of the students, a well performing union is a must for any college and is a huge part of the whole experience of being a student. Though, one is forced to wish if only it came with a little less chaos!

Feature Image Credits- www.gettyimages.com

Akshara Srivastava
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Student’s Union Society Elections – St. Stephen’s College

By Abhinaya Harigovind August 21, 2016

St. Stephen’s College organised elections for the President of its Students’ Union Society on 10th August, 2016. The election, which saw 3 candidates competing for the coveted position, culminated in the victory of Nikhil Varghese, a student of the BA Programme. Nikhil secured 372 votes, winning by a margin of 85 votes.

Prior to the elections, Stephen’s conducts an Open Court- an arena for the candidates to present their respective manifestos before the student body and invite and answer questions concerning the same. Regarding his experience at the high-octane event, Nikhil says, “It was great to watch students support us on the basis of our ideology, which is to be the voice of the students.”

What was it about his manifesto that set him apart from the other two candidates and clinched the victory for his group? “It is a manifesto that was put together after a discussion with the students, giving it a democratic character. Besides, we have studied the manifestos made over 3-4 years to identify those problems that previous Students’ Unions promised, but never looked into,” he says.

The most pressing issues that Nikhil and his Union would like to deal with include matters of discrimination (on grounds of gender or any other aspect) and hygiene. “There is a certain inequality with regard to decision making. Students must have a greater say in matters that concern them,” he asserts. Within a week of having taken charge, the Union has extended library timings to 7 p.m, on a two-week trial basis.

Foremost on Nikhil’s mind is the fact that previous Unions promised a great deal in their manifestos but rarely followed through with them. “This could possibly be why there was a considerable section of the student body opting for NOTA this year. Maybe they had lost their faith in the Union,” says Nikhil. This year, Stephen’s had a NOTA option on the EVM, with 45 votes polled for NOTA.

There has been a clamor for the inclusion of a NOTA button in the DUSU elections as well, while the same has already been implemented at JNU. Should students be given a NOTA option? “If the NOTA option receives a sizable number of votes, the election can even be declared invalid. In such a situation, it definitely is a good alternative to choose candidates who might be incompetent,” says Ankita Srivastava, a third year student at Stephen’s. Shubham Kaushik of Miranda House concurs. “A NOTA option should be made available, particularly if the candidates are not raising the right issues. If the student body feels that none of the candidates are capable, this option is a way of expressing the same,” she says.

Image credits: www.educrib.com

Abhinaya Harigovind

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The many firsts of college life

By DU Beat July 25, 2016

College is the beginning of a new phase of life. You leave the often claustrophobic (read protective) environment of school and home and move into the ‘real world.’ As you get busy with admissions, moving out of home, moving into a hostel and then with the general life in this entirely new setting, here are a few a few milestones you pass as you meander through the three years.

1. First elections

Quite a lot of universities have a well formed political base with strong student unions. Delhi University has an extremely active political environment and a student union which remains in news throughout. As a fresher, you are literally thrown into the vortex of student politics when college begins as different political parties persuade you to cast your vote for them in the elections and campaign around day in and day out. And for most of the students, these are the first elections they witness, albeit on a smaller scale. Enjoy the elections; make an informed choice and most of all relish your first experience of taking part in your very first elections.

2. College Fests

The Delhi University fest season is crazy. The season which begins in February has each college organize a festival which involves a series of extra- curricular activity competitions, lip smacking food and a hectic line up of events. The fests also see a myriad of artists performing on star nights to close the fests. This year, Delhi University saw artists like Salim Sulaiman, Farhan Akhtar and many more perform. The fest season is like one never ending party and something that every fresher waits for with bated breath.

*Image Credits: Chirag Sharma for DU Beat*

3. Freedom

College gives you a taste of unrequited freedom, a way to get away from the shackles of the protective environment of home and school. For many students this freedom is very new, something not a lot of them get to experience very often. Bunking classes is easier in college and helps students to explore the city and what it has to offer. It is often in college that many students realize their love and passion for travelling and exploring the unknown. I for one can vouch for that!

4. The home away from home

Relevant mostly for outstation candidates, the home away from home- the PG or hostel experience is something the majority experiences for the first time. The mess food is a struggle of its own kind and the deadlines are often infuriating. But the PG/ Hostel life has so much to teach! For one, you become a pro at handling your expenses (keeping in mind the amount of times you have to order in.) Accommodating and adjusting are not words but virtues that you add to your skill set.

Image credits: Gettyimages/ Hindustan Times

Featured image credits: bestofpictures.com

Akshara Srivastava

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Jeopardy over nominations in Hindu and Hans Raj a week ahead of polls

By DU Beat September 5, 2015

In a bid to demand transparency in the nominations of the electoral candidates, the students of Hans Raj College held a silent protest on Friday morning, September the 4th. The protest was held at the main gate of Hans Raj College from 8:00 PM to 10:30 PM.

The nomination of Parveen Gartaan for the post of president of Hans Raj College was reportedly cancelled after the silent protest by students. However, there has been no official notification regarding the cancellation. The college administration conducted a meeting with Dr. Rama, the newly appointed Principal regarding the same and Dr. Rama was unavailable for comments.

The opposing panel accused Parveen Gartaan for violating the norms set by the University for contesting in the elections and also claimed that he was suspended before in an alleged case of threatening and abusing other students. Terming the matter to be rubbish Change Panel has promised to clear the matters of withdrawn nomination on Monday. However, it has introduced their new presidential candidate for the elections.

Dear Hansarians,Leaders Change but Team remains the Same!!We present to you our Presidential candidate – ISHVENDER…

Posted by Change Panel, Hans Raj College on Friday, September 4, 2015

A similar protest was staged at Hindu College on the 2nd and 3rd of September after the list of candidates for the student union was released. The incumbent party’s PM candidate, Raman Singh was not included in this list because of which nearly a hundred students assembled in the foyer outside the principal’s office in a peaceful manner, demanding answers. Having found her answers unsatisfactory, students continued to protest until the administration set up a special committee to review the case.

On the 28th of August a group of students were found in PM Candidate Raman Singh’s hostel room having a party, by the Principal who entered the premises late at night after being tipped off about the same. Although Raman was not in his room at the time, the authorities found alcohol causing them to immediately sentence him to community service and terminate his candidacy. After two days of protesting students were disappointed when the review committee decided not to overturn the Principal’s decision causing the party to put up a new candidate Ashish Holaria one week prior to elections.

Nidhi Panchal and Shraman Ghosh

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