Latest
DU Beat – Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper
Tag

elections

Browsing
Campus Central

Keshav Mahavidyalaya says Yes to the Students’ Union and Affiliation to DUSU

By

On 2nd May 2018, the students of Keshav Mahavidyalaya voted in favour of the establishment of a Students’ Union in the college and its affiliation to the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU). In a much-publicised referendum, the “Ayes” received a thumping majority.

While talking to DU Beat, faculty member of the college Kunal Kumar remarked optimistically, “When the results were announced today, everyone was very happy, including Principal ma’am. Change is always good, and the overall atmosphere in the college is that of positivity and optimism.”
Subham Yadav, a student of the college, revealed fascinating statistics to DU Beat, “About 1600 is the strength of the students who were eligible to vote. Out of them, 1014 students voted yes.”

When asked about the reaction from the college authorities, he responded, “Everyone seemed satisfied. Earlier, the Principal was uneasy about the notion of holding a referendum in college, but now, even she seemed content.”

Earlier, Keshav Mahavidyalaya did not partake DUSU elections and did not have a student’s union. For years, certain sections of the student community demanded both the aforementioned elements in their college. Then finally after several rounds of negotiation, the college authoties decided that Keshav Mahavidyalaya would be holding a referendum to determine the students’ verdict in the matter of the institution of the college students’ union as well as the college’s affiliation to the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU). The referendum was scheduled to be held on the 2nd of May 2018, and the entire process was deemed to be completed by 9 p.m. on the same day.

Now that the long fight has come to an affable end, it’ll be interesting to see how the college changes in the face of upcoming elections. Only time can tell whether polls will be reduced to the muscle and money laced power politics or will actually democratise the college space.

 

Feature Image Credits: Ankit Alhawatt and Sorav

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
News

DUSU EC Results Announced, Amidst Much Ruckus

By

Elections of the Executive Committee of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) saw major unrest after a voter, Gaurav Sharma, a central council member of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, alleged that somebody had forged his signature and voted on his behalf. When he complained to the authority then, instead of taking the matter seriously, his complaint was dismissed his claims and he was asked to leave the Conference Centre (voting venue).

Soon Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the National Students’ Union of India  (NSUI) got the whiff of the matter which led to a scuffle between police and students that resulted in minor property damage. DUSU President and NSUI member Rocky Tuseed and DUSU Secretary Mahamedhaa Nagar, who is from ABVP, asked authorities to allow the voter to cast his vote, but their request was refused.Election officer Rajeev Gupta forwarded the complaints of bogus voting to the DU Grievance Cell and further action will now depend on Grievance Cell’s decision.

A glass door was broken during the scuffle. Image Credits: The Indian Express
A glass door was broken during the scuffle.
Image Credits: The Indian Express

The results were announced on 27th November. ABVP asserted that they secured eight out of the 11 posts,   NSUI announced the win in five of 11 seats. Since there are only 11 candidates in total, which means that both ABVP and NSUI are staking claims on two winners. These two candidates are Naveen Yadav from Motilal Nehru College and Vaibhav Bansal from Rajdhani College. Naveen Yadav identifies as an independent candidate who personally supports NSUI and Vaibhav Bansal has had affiliations with ABVP.

The DUSU EC has 11 members who are chosen from presidents and central councillors of various college unions. Constitution of DUSU ensures that at least two out of 11 EC members should be girls. The Executive Committee is entrusted with an important task of proposing the DUSU annual budget which is then sent to the Central Council for approval.

A total of 146 people including all members of DUSU voted in the EC elections. Initially 18 candidates contested for 11 EC seats, but in the end only 14 contested owing to the withdrawal of nominations. In this sense, one can say that the selection process wasn’t very competitive in terms of numbers.

 

 

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Express

(With inputs from The Indian Express and Hindustan Times)

Niharika Dabral

[email protected]

 

Keep Reading
By
Bazinga

Bazinga: Faulty Voting Machines in Few Colleges: Biased Results?

By

Elections in colleges and universities are valued by every student.  The candidates for the post have lead to the need of more advanced and automated voting systems. However, the design, construction, implementation, effectiveness and security of electronic voting systems have proven to be problematic. The results to DUSU polls were released last Wednesday. Outflow of freebies, goodies, movie tickets came to a fruitful end. But insiders have revealed that the making of the voting machines were faulty and were used in a few colleges. So do we assume the results were biased? Vote flipping? And now, the stories and conspiracy theories have begun.

Sources have informed that there have been reports of voters pressing one candidate’s name, only to have the opponent’s name light up instead. It is unnerving for the students. Have our votes got no value? After all the buzz in the University in the former half of the year, now we get to hear of alleged ‘rigging’ of machines. The colleges which got faulty machines are demanding for another round of elections due to tampering of the ballot boxes. There is a popular demand to scrap the machines. The Chancellor has requested for a probe to look into this matter and the role of the officers involved in the entire process. It said that the machines were tested before the election and are recaliberated each day before voting begins.

But, the upheaval of students regarding justice in this issue has lead to a settlement: Now the winning party will be decided by a popular support rally, which is to be scheduled by the end of this month in DU, north campus. The working mechanism of this rally is described as follows: you have to register yourself under a party as their supporter, and then you have to join their rally-walk from the prescribed time. The party with highest number of supporters will take a win.

Statistics say that more students came out to vote in DU this year as compared to last year.  In 32 of the 41 morning colleges, the voter turnout stood at 44% — a sizeable jump, when the overall voter turnout last year was 36.9%. But, in a university like ours, we expect a higher number of voters. And if you could not vote this year, now you have another chance to have a say in the elections of your very own university. Also, increasing support implies another round of incentives to enjoy! Goodies are on their way, let’s walk a rally.

 

Feature Image Credits: Times of India

Radhika Boruah

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

Hegemony in College Elections

By

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

[email protected]

 

 

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

The Aftermath of Elections- Is there Room for Improvement?

By

Another edition of Delhi University Students’ Union(DUSU) elections gone by, another year’s campaigning done and dusted. What lies ahead is the vast aftermath of elections and the countless reforms the process is yet to witness.

DUSU elections are continuously undergoing some change. From the implementation of EVMs(Electronic Voter Machines) that replaced ballot boxes to the NOTA(None of The Above) option that was introduced last year, many issues have been rectified by the responsible authorities.

However, a slight cause of worry is the fact that out of the total votes for all four posts, NOTA votes increased by a staggering 60%, from 17,722 last year to 29,770 this year. The use of this option should be lauded, but to prevent NOTA votes from increasing next year too, we can improve and learn from foreign universities’ student body elections and draw parallels that stand relevant in the Indian scenario.

  1. Referendums can be held to solidify the constitution that governs DUSU elections.This procedure, complicated to understand but easier in practice, requires contesting suits to get signatures to put forward a question for a referendum on the ballot. If a threshold of signatories is reached, the referendum is conducted to make elections more student inclusive. If the question gets the support of 2/3rd of the voters with at least 10% voting in favour, the proposed amendment is passed and cannot be repealed by any authority. This gives voters the significant power to exercise their rights and influence legislation governing them. This model is actively followed at Harvard University.
  2. Unlike the case in India, in most University Government Bodies(UGB) in the U.S, candidates are not affiliated with any political party, either the Democrats or Republicans. There are, however, separate clubs and organisations that harbour their ideologies, regardless of which they still have no direct link with the parties. It is unlikely that the same model will ever be followed in the Indian scenario, but it provides an insightful snippet of thought for future elections.
  3. University officials are striving to make elections relevant to the digital age but still follow outdated mediums to do the same. Since Delhi University is an open university with colleges spread far and wide, for a candidate to reach out to the maximum number of students in limited time is an impossibility. Conducting university-wide debates in henceforth not possible, and not every college has the required infrastructure to accommodate all the students of its institution for the same. Candidates in foreign universities come up with websites meant specifically for their election campaigns. Following a similar digital route, candidates for DUSU elections can conduct live sessions, use chat boxes for live question-answer rounds and spread manifesto circulars on open social media platforms.

As much as political parties are despised during the time leading up to elections, many have pitched in reforms that could potentially bring revolutionary changes. The number of EVMs can be increased and mock runs of EVMs can be conducted, as the controversy of tampering always arises after elections are through. Audits could be conducted of the DUSU expenditure and the same published on a public portal to help interested students review the functioning of the outgoing DUSU panel. (Credits: NSUI and ABVP)

A plethora of similar suggestions have been pitched already, but very few implemented to keep up with the time. Most of the time there are administrative delays and faults that hinder path-breaking changes in the student electoral process. A certain degree of autonomy and accountability could go hand-in-hand to help voters and candidates exercise this opportunity and uphold the spirit of democracy.

Image Credits: My Republica

 

Vijeata Balani

[email protected]

 

Keep Reading
By
Bazinga

Faulty Voting Machines in Few Colleges: Biased Results?

By

The entire University of Delhi is heaving a sigh of relief after the DUSU elections 2017. But now, what about the faulty voting machines?

Elections in colleges and universities are valued by every student.  The candidates for the various posts have to argue for the need of more advanced and automated voting systems. However, the design, construction, implementation, effectiveness, and security of electronic voting systems have proved to be problematic. The results of the DUSU polls were released last Wednesday. The outflow of freebies, goodies and movie tickets came to a fruitful end. But insiders have revealed that the voting machines were faulty in a few colleges. So, do we assume that the results were biased? First came the suspicions of vote flipping. And now, the stories and conspiracy theories have begun.

Sources have informed us that there have been reports of voters pressing one candidate’s name, only to have the opponent’s name light up instead. It is unnerving for the students. Have our votes got no value? After all the tohubohu in the university in the former half of the year, now we get to hear of alleged ‘rigging’ of machines. The colleges which got the faulty machines are demanding for another round of elections due to tampering of the ballot boxes. There is a popular demand to scrap the machines. The Chancellor has requested for a probe to look into this matter and the role of the officers involved in the entire process. It said that the machines were tested before the elections and recalibrated each day before voting began.

But the upheaval of students regarding justice in this issue has lead to a settlement: Now the winning party will be decided by a popular support rally, which is to be scheduled by the end of this month in DU’s North Campus. The working mechanism of this rally is described as follows: you have to register yourself under a party as their supporter, and then you must to join their rally walk from the prescribed time. The party with the highest number of supporters wins.

Statistics say more students came out to vote in DU this year as compared to last year.  In 32 of the 41-morning colleges, the voter turnout stood at 44% — a sizeable jump, when the overall voter turnout last year was 36.9%. But in a university like ours, we expect a higher number of voters. And if you could not vote this year, now you have another chance to have a say in the elections of your very own university. Also, increasing support implies another round of incentives to enjoy! Goodies are on their way, let’s join a rally.

**Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is a humorous, light hearted column that should only be appreciated and not accepted.

Feature Image Credits: Times of India 

 

Radhika Boruah

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUSU Elections 2017

Results: Delhi University Students’ Union Elections 2017

By

After weeks of campaigning, the Delhi University Students’ Union Elections 2017 were held on Tuesday, 12th September in colleges across the University of Delhi. At the end of the day, the voter turnout was said to be 42.8%, which was a huge improvement from last year’s turnout of 34.3%. The results for the same were announced on the afternoon of 13th September.

Rocky Tusheed and Kunal Sehrawat from the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), affiliated to the Indian National Congress, won the posts of President and Vice President respectively. This was an enormous leap for NSUI, as they emerged victorious over Rajat Choudhary and Paarth Rana from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), affiliated to the Rashtriya Sawayamsevak Sangh (RSS). ABVP has maintained monopoly over these 2 posts for the past 4 years in DUSU. The post of Secretary and Joint Secretary has been won by Mahamedha Nagar and Uma Shankar from ABVP.

However, in a recent turn of events, the counting of votes for the post of Joint Secretary is being taken to the Delhi High Court by NSUI. Neeraj Mishra, the National Communications In charge of NSUI, said, “The average NOTA vote count for the post of Joint Secretary had been declared as 5000, however ABVP claims the NOTA vote count to be 9000. Due to the discrepancies in these numbers, the matter of the final vote count will be moved to the High Court by NSUI”. The final tally of votes were, President: NSUI (16299), ABVP (14709). Vice-president: NSUI (16431), ABVP (16256). Secretary: ABVP (17156), NSUI (14532). The post of Joint Secretary has been won by Uma Shankar from ABVP as of now, however the final decision will be declared by the Delhi High Court.

 

Feature Image Credits: DNA India

Joyee Bhattacharya

([email protected])

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

Rusticate students those who use printed posters: NGT

By

The National Green Tribune (NGT) has issued a warning to the University of Delhi (DU) in particular regarding non-compliance with the tribunal.

The National Green Tribune (NGT), having failed to make a mark with words, resorted to action on Wednesday issuing a warning to the University of Delhi (DU), the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) regarding the wastage of paper during the polls this year.

A plea was filed by Nithin Chandran, a third year law student in DU when he was flabbergasted by the modus operandi of campaigning through the humongous wastage of paper. The plea read-“On every election, tonnes of paper are wasted for canvassing by the candidates and their supporters. Wherein, there is no accountability for usage of paper and neither there is any norm or procedure for re-cycling of this waste paper”. Relying upon the report published by the TIMES OF INDIA, the NGT was informed of the non-compliance of its order on Tuesday by the counsels of the law student- Piyush Singh and Aditya Parolia. The bench consisted of the NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar and B S Sajwan.

The conduct of the elections is based on the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee to be implemented from the year 2006 by the order of the Supreme Court which stated- “No candidate shall be permitted to make use of printed posters, printed pamphlets, or any other printed material for the purpose of canvassing”. “Candidates may only utilize hand- made posters at certain places in the campus, which shall be notified in advance by the election commission/university authority”.

The NGT has thereby, issued a warning to the DU students of rusticating if caught in action. Under section 26 of the NGT Act 2010, the maximum punishment if found guilty of contempt of the orders, is three years’ of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10 crores.

Apart from just the art work on the walls as well as the premises of the campus; it becomes imperative to note that the littered papers are not disposed of properly or re-cycled, hence, leaving an imprint of the elections held every year. On the contrary, the Lyngdoh Committee states- “All the candidates shall be jointly responsible for ensuring the cleaning up of the polling area within 48 hours of the conclusion of polling”.

According to reports, while the next hearing is scheduled for the 18th of this month; the DUSU polls are ahead on the 12th. With all of this happening; we have to watch out for the big day and the probable last minute changes that the manifestos of the several parties might suffer.

Shrija Ganguly

[email protected] 

Keep Reading
By
DUSU Elections 2017

Lyngdoh Committee: The Recommendations Which Have Remained Mere Recommendations

By

Lyngdoh Committee Recommendations are perhaps the most cited phrases in DUSU politics today. To understand its importance and relevance, it’s necessary to know that they were approved by the Supreme Court in 2006, to curb the use of muscle power and money in student politics. The aim was to reform the election system to make it more inclusive for students and involve fewer malpractices. Unfortunately, the guidelines have received brickbats from students and politicians alike, as many clauses are unrealistic and utopian.

Lyngdoh had aimed to keep political interference out from student elections but unfortunately failed to realise that this endeavour doesn’t exist without acknowledging the ‘political’ aspect of student political parties. To escape these restrictive guidelines, parties have identified loopholes, a few such examples being:
Clause 6.6.1: The maximum permitted expenditure per candidate shall be INR 5000.
Probably the most flouted clause in the recommendations, parties spend as much as lakhs to print countless pamphlets and hoardings that can be seen across the campus. The loophole that every party takes advantage of is that the guidelines restrict the candidate’s expenditure to INR 5000, but nothing has been mentioned for the candidate’s respective party. All major parties reiterate this reasoning to escape legal action.
Clause 6.7.5: No candidate shall be permitted to make use of printed posters, printed pamphlets, or any other printed material for the purpose of canvassing. Candidates may only utilize hand-made posters for the purpose of canvassing, provided that such hand-made posters are procured within the expenditure limit set out herein above.
To cleverly counter this, parties have been releasing posters that misspell the name of its candidate but allow it to be distinguished back to the party as well. The use of an extra ‘A’ after the name would save it from any legal consequences.
Clause 6.7.9: During the election period the candidates may hold processions and/or public meetings, provided that they do not, in any manner, disturb classes and other academic and co curricular activities of the college/university. Further, such procession / public meeting may not be held without the prior written permission of the college/university authority.
It’s common knowledge that campaigners do disturb classes and disrupt routine workings in a college. It’s also never the candidate alone who partakes in this, more often the supporters do the loud sloganeering or get involved in brawls. Since the LCR specifies nothing for parties, political outfits do it as per their will, and candidates are absolved from all responsibility for its party’s action.
What could also be a major advantage for political parties is that the LCR are only applicable from the day the nominations are declared. Up until that day, parties can freely distribute pamphlets urging students to join their organisation.
Apart from one clause in the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines that calls for dissociation of student elections and political parties, there is no clause that directly links the entire party with the administration or puts it under the purview of the election officer’s power. This requires an urgent overview of the recommendations to make them more realistic to plug the loopholes and acknowledge the ‘politics’ in student elections.
Image Credits: Hindustan Times
Vijeata Balani
[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
News

Rajib Ray of DTF Elected as New DUTA President

By

On Thursday, the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) conducted its elections for the post of President and fifteen Executive Committee members. Rajib Ray, a professor of Philosophy from Kirori Mal College and the leftist Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), was named the President of DUTA on Friday morning by scoring 2636 votes.

The elections were held in Arts Faculty, North Campus. Teachers from colleges across Delhi came to cast their votes from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday evening. This year, the voter turnout was massive as it amassed to an estimate of 7,200 members.

Rajib Ray told The Hindu, “We are looking forward to fighting against the failures of the government and other authorities. Timely disbursement of pension and setting up of a review committee are our top priorities.”

In his manifesto, Ray questioned the prevalent education policies and raised important issues such as those of privatisation and autonomy of DU colleges. He said “Education policy is currently being dictated by the NITI Aayog, whose CEO recently proclaimed that the government should “hand over schools, colleges, jails to the private sector”. Its Draft Action Plan is being pushed through various UGC Regulations. The Draft on Graded Autonomy defines three categories of universities based on NAAC scores and NIRF rank.” He even criticised the DU administration by saying that “The DU administration has been deaf to the denial of promotion to thousands of teachers and forced them to go to the Court. It has surrendered to the Ministry of Human Resources Development directive to appeal against the positive Court order on pensions.”

His main motto is to defend public education. With such a win, a lot is expected from his tenure as the new President of DUTA.

 

Feature Image Credits: Democratic Teachers’ Front

Bhavya Banerjee
[email protected]

Keep Reading
By