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A constitution is ideally supposed to be a set of laws and principles laid down by those with authority, as the basis for governing a group of people. We know how important the Constitution is in a civilised society, especially with regards to the fact that previous week that saw the ruling on whether privacy is a fundamental right. Even though ground realities may take time to align with the lofty ideals written in a constitution, having high standards of ideals helps in aspiring for a more just world and providing legal recourse.

But what about an institution which is driven by ideas, like the University? Did you know that the Delhi University Students’ Union also has a constitution of its own? It’s a rhetorical question, because why would anybody know that? Unless, you’re writing an article about it – which is one of the more interesting ways of spending your weekend mass bunk due to the unthinking violent actions of the supporters of a certain amino acid-acronym Guru.

The Delhi University website has a link to the Constitution on it. Upon clicking on it, one is directed to a 16 page, 8 chapter PDF document. For those uninitiated in the ways of DUSU (which I’m sure is quite a lot of us given the recent years’ voter turnout), a lot of the clauses are new information. For instance, the source of DUSU funds is 20 rupees from each student who is a part of colleges affiliated to DUSU. It is apparently included in the college fees given by the students. Think of those sweet 20 rupees that you haggle over with rickshaw-wallahs for. The 20 rupees you can use for 2-3 cups of chai, depending on the generosity of your college canteen. A minute’s silence for those brave, invaluable (not literally) 20 rupees should be observed. So selfless, that they are someone else’s chai or someone else’s rickshaw fare to beat up the nearest leftist event’s organisers. It depends on you that which cause you’d rather have your money go to, if at all.

Under ‘Aims and Objects’ (not objectives, and I am not linguistically qualified enough to make a joke on that), there is the real substance – the meat of the Constitution. Among other things, “a democratic outlook”, “intellectual development” and “a sense of unity among students” is to be achieved, along with “harmonious relations” among the student community. That has definitely been achieved, no doubt. There is absolutely no irony in the Student Union demanding unity in a university where it doesn’t even serve a good number of colleges. Nope.

DUSU also has the power to organise events, debates, cultural and social service events under ‘Activities’. It can also publish magazines, journals and “wall newspapers”, whose existence had been unknown to me till now but as per Google Images it looks quite hipster, so I approve. There’s also some interesting organisational information: The Vice-Chancellor (currently Yogesh Tyagi, thank you Google) serves as the patron of DUSU, the hierarchy of the Council from top to bottom is President, Secretary, Vice President, and Joint Secretary; a student having been a part of the University for more than seven years cannot be an Executive Council member, and that a notice for an emergency meeting must be served by a telegram (Isn’t telegram dead yet?) Yes. “Why?” you ask? “Why not” is my response.

Regardless, it turns out that there are quite a few things to learn about DUSU and its functioning. We’re blessed enough to have an easily accessible Constitution that neatly mentions its aims, meetings’ procedures, structures and information on telegraph-usage. So go through it because it’s interesting, the 20 rupees trivia is definitely a great icebreaker for a date, and with the rains all around you have nowhere to go.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Rishika Singh
[email protected]

With DUSU elections looming around the corner, students from various colleges of the University of Delhi have pledged to not vote for any party that partakes in the littering or vandalising of its college premises.
An unnamed notice at Ram Lal Anand College campus read, “We the voters of Ram Lal Anand College pledge to not vote for any candidate or a party whose supporters are found defacing or damaging the property of our college.” Similar notices from colleges like Kirori Mal College and Rajdhani College have begun doing the rounds in social media, and petitions which condemn wastage of paper are being signed. According to Vaibhav Bansal, a 3rd-year Political Science(H) student at Rajdhani College, “We are not planning on boycotting elections, we just demand a cleaner and violence-free campus. If a record of the campaigners could be maintained at the college gate and their number limited to 5, there won’t be as many problems. It’s our campus that is being defaced, not theirs.”
Akankshya Mohanty, a second-year Statistics(H) student at Ram Lal Anand College feels that the situation at her college is grim and severe. She said, “College just got renovated and many processes are underway as well. These campaigners are causing just too much destruction, with flyers and posters everywhere in and around the college.” She went on to describe her first-hand account of campaigners involved in a scuffle with the police at her college, and how quickly the fight turned violent.
A complete boycott is extremely far-fetched, but this new initiative to deter campaigners from defacing college property is gaining huge traction. Hopefully, more colleges will jump on the bandwagon and challenge authorities to take action against the wrongdoers.
Image Credits: RLA.in
Vijeata Balani
[email protected]

Following the Vice Chancellor’s historical decision, you can now expect student political parties to hand you out pens and notebooks in exchange of your vote.

In a press conference last week, the University of Delhi’s Vice Chancellor passed an order to student political parties that allows them distribute freebies legally on only one day, preceding the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections. This decision comes right before the polls that are set to be conducted on the 12th of September this year. When the VC, Satish Saraf, was approached to reason this historical decision, he said, “The DUSU elections happen in an arbitrary manner, as no political party follows the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines anyway. Through this reform, we plan to introduce transparency in the system.” This report, however, is incomplete without the numerous terms and conditions it clearly states that need to be followed as protocol to distribute freebies legally. A few of these conditions are:

  1. Political parties can only distribute freebies on only one day, that day being at least one week prior to elections.
  2. Political parties can distribute only education related freebies like pens, registers, books and other similar items that add to the welfare of students.
  3. If the political party is found to be distributing alcohol or weed, its candidate would be prosecuted and disqualified to contest with immediate effect.
  4. No printed posters can be put up. This is in accordance with orders given by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to conduct a poster-less and digital campaign.
  5. A maximum cap of 10 lakhs would be set so that parties with lesser funds have no complaints.
  6. To help students make an informed decision, all those parties that partake in distribution of freebies are expected to arrange for seminars and workshops, wherein they explain in detail the functioning of DUSU and delineate the actions they will take to achieve all points in their manifestos.

Two schools of thoughts have emerged from this landmark decision- one which strongly opposes this decision and one which stands in staunch support for it. A second year student of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College under condition of anonymity, said, “I think the DU VC has gone berserk. His decision places small, genuine parties to a major disadvantage and ensures that parties with large funding get abundant visibility.” However, not everybody harbours the same viewpoint. Avni Bansal, President of Sangharsh Yuva Parishad is of the view that this decision will transform elections for the better. In conversation with DU Beat, she said, “Everybody knows that use of muscle power cannot be removed from elections. But, this can definitely be put to good use for the welfare of students. Students belonging to lower economic backgrounds can benefit immensely from this opportunity”

While we already have protests from opposition parties against this decision, the executive council has been tabled to discuss reforms in DUSU budget as well. Most students consider this to be another spurious decision by the VC and have signed petitions that would be forwarded to the administration. Whether it will face a roll back like other significant reforms or undergo rigorous implementation, only time will tell.

 

Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of believable fake news. It is to be enjoyed, and not believed.

 

Image Credits: Days Of The Year

Vijeata Balani

[email protected]

A few months back, when stones rained from across roads and protesting students had to face the violence that was unleashed afterwards, the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), found itself on the opposite side of the students. Rather than speaking for the victims, it was accused of siding with the perpetrators of the violence. This was in stark contrast to the history of the student body, when the Union which was dominated by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) stood against the hooliganism of Youth Congress workers during the Emergency era of  the 1970s. The Union which once stood to protect the freedom of expression has been accused of suppressing it after four decades.

In the days after the Ramjas incident, several programmes across different colleges and departments were cancelled or censored in the fear of instigating  violence. When fests born out of the year-long work of students were cancelled, the Union, rather than coming forward to ensure peace and security of the students, went ahead to side with those who stood for censorship and prohibited certain plays from being performed.

The faculty at University of Delhi (DU) is witness to several student-led initiatives which grew into major forces in the country. The Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was one of those forces which grew hugely within this University. In recent years, several initiatives like the Pinjra Tod Movement and the hostel accommodation movement have grown within this campus. However, the Union, rather than being a facilitator, has been found on the opposing side of these movements.

All these arguments lead us to ask a simple question: Is the regular ‘student’ of the University represented as a part of the Students’ Union?

Institutionally, yes. Every student who is a part of the University pays a nominal fee every year which goes towards the day-to-day functioning of the Union and its budget.

But numbers speak a different story. Through a small analysis on the voting pattern in the University, it can be seen that the overall voting percentage is falling. An ordinary student of the University, who is excited about fests and worried about examinations, has seen an erosion of her or his interest in the election process. This eroding of trust should be a major concern for both the Union and the University. It indicates a potential lack of representation, which leads to increasing the distance between the students and the administration.

While student unions across the world are challenging conventions by fighting repression and standing for equal rights, the largest student union of our country stands on the path of losing its basic student character. This distancing movement of the Students’ Union from the students should be curtailed at the earliest. A misrepresented Union not only fails to serve its democratic purpose, but also leads to a large-scale failure to address problems which might flare up in the form of tensions among the administration and the very people whom it is meant to serve, the students.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat 

Srivedant Kar
[email protected]

 

In the light of the recent events pertaining to the upcoming elections of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), contrary to the anticipated scenario, Aryabhatta College has given out a notice seeking a referendum regarding its affiliation to the DUSU that will be held on the 1st of September, within the college premises.

While the college was affiliated to the DUSU in the past, the excessive political inclination of the latter and the consequent amalgamation of campus violence and suppression in the recent years have garnered a lot of attention, questioning affiliation of other member colleges as well. Since both the Principal as well as the administration remained unavailable for any comments, we had a word with Yashank Bhutani who is also one of the presidential candidates this year. He informed us that a joint protest is going to be held on Monday, that is, on the 28

Yashak Bhutani, one of the presidential candidate for this year informed that a joint protest is going to be held on Monday, that is, on the 28th of August regarding whether or not the institution should be affiliated. Amidst all of this, a pro-DUSU affiliation signature campaign was doing the rounds on Thursday. The referendum, as explained by Yashank, proposed against the centralization of power that otherwise is the case with party-affiliated student politics, wherein, the six-post system including the President, the Vice-President, the Joint Secretary, the General Secretary and two Central Councillors are vested with the sceptre of power, leaving out the other students in a subordinate position. He further goes on to add that the alternative way would include a two-post system with only the President and the General Secretary at the highest rung, with a division of power among the Class Representatives (CRs) and the respective department Presidents who will be responsible for keeping the powers of the two heads under check or “the parliamentary form of elections”, as he calls them.

Meanwhile, the principal and other college authorities were unavailable for comments.

While it has become quite clear from certain examples in the recent past that the triumph of party-affiliated politics nurtures nothing but only the mouthpiece of a particular ideology; it is, like Yashank states, “the leadership in a free environment is what we look for with every student having a say in the decision-making”.

 

Shrija Ganguly

[email protected]

 

The Delhi University Students’ Union elections are just around the corner and the election fever is in full swing. In this context, we analyse the finer nuances of what sways the DUSU election results.

  • The name game

While campaigning, candidates often change how their name is spelt. Posters and hoardings will often bear the names of candidates with one or more letters misspelt. This leads to the following benefit – if there are any pending cases or FIRs against them, it would be harder for the average Joe to look it up. The second benefit allows them to manipulate the ballot number they received by adding “A” at the beginning of their name as a prefix. For example, the 2015 DUSU President Mohit Nagar filed his nomination as “AAA Mohit Nagar” which resulted in him getting ballot number 1. The ballot list is made in alphabetical order which means that the candidates with the maximum number of As at the beginning of their name would get 1 as their ballot number. Since a lot of people in DUSU elections vote just for the sake of it, the probability of them voting for the first candidate on the list is considerably higher. To combat this, in 2015 the Delhi High Court described this practise as “flawed” and finally put an end to it.

  • Money matters

Freebies ranging from movie tickets, chocolates, t-shirts, pens, notebooks, water park tickets, and what not are distributed during the election season. But it does not stop there. Major student political parties also go to large PGs to promote and campaign for their candidates. An anonymous resident of Aparna Girls Hostel, a private PG that houses around 300 girls, says, “Last year both the ABVP and NSUI came to our PG to campaign. They spent around 20-30 minutes there and also sponsored special food for the day”. These freebies are aggressively thrown around as the election day comes closer in order to sway the maximum number of voters until the very end.

  • Graffiti

Without any regard to either public and private property or to aesthetics, candidates spray paint their names over walls, buildings, pavements, hoardings, and any flat surface which catches the eye. The idea is to familiarise the maximum number of people with a certain name before election day. If the rival party has already put up their logo on a particular wall, instances have shown that political candidates are not above throwing black paint all over it. Every year, in the name of elections, these walls are besmirched with black spray paint and posters.

  • Personal touch

Any politician worth the salt knows how important personal touch is. Vox populi vox dei is an ancient Latin phrase which means that the voice of people is the voice of God. Candidates in DUSU elections are more than aware of this philosophy.  Once people want a particular candidate to win because they think he/she deserves it, there is little that can stop them. As soon as the logistics are dealt with, door-to-door campaigning begins. Personally helping people, reaching out to them, acquiring  goodwill, and building up a network of loyal friends are keys to unlocking the puzzle that is DUSU elections. On the day of the elections it is this goodwill acquired across months of rigorous campaigning and a band of loyal supporters and friends that ensures victory.

  • Party lines

Contrary to what most of us would like to believe, student politics does sync with national politics. DUSU elections are a playground for major national political parties. Most DUSU presidents acquire a certain degree of political relevance and end up with successful careers working with their parent organisations or parties. Delhi University is also a recruitment pool for these parties. A considerable number of today’s political leaders started their careers in Delhi University itself.

As far as the DUSU election results are concerned, the stakes are extremely high. It is a matter of immense pride to win the student elections in one of the largest universities in the country. The pivotal driving force in these elections – perhaps the sole factor that makes it so very grand – is the involvement of national parties. When Delhi University becomes the battle ground for the biggest political parties in the country, one can expect a magnificent showdown.

 

Image Credits: Kinjal Pandey for DU Beat

Kinjal Pandey
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As the election season is round the corner, there are a few questions we need to ask ourselves before you cast your precious vote. For the past many years these student unions have been releasing majestic manifestos. Has there been any progress? Has the University witnessed a change?
If you go through the manifestos of different parties, you’ll realise how similar they are in the amenities, provisions and campaigning techniques. The consecutive years have seen no major change in these manifestos; they remain focused on providing a safe environment for women, affordable hostel facilities, proper implementation of the Choice Based Credit System, formation of a North Eastern Cell, encouragement of anti-ragging and anti-discriminatory practices, and so on.
One might argue that change doesn’t happen in a day but the fact that certain parties have backed a seat or two (or more) in DUSU elections year after year and still the agendas they put forth remain the same is a matter of great concern. The students of the University of Delhi need to question their political presence and the allocation of resources that they garner.
Talking of ABVP, since 2014, certain bullet points have maintained their place in the list of agendas even after them coming consecutively to power. They include having a bank account for all the students of the University, hostels, safety from sexual harassment and discrimination, North East progression and preservation of their culture and rights, etc. It is alarming that such issues of grave concern still remain left to be addressed. The same story continues if we look at the manifesto of NSUI or even that of AISA.
Political ideology and inclination is what separates them because the demands and needs of the students are basic and every party knows the importance to assure the basic minimum requirements in their own ways. The problem arises when after capturing the seats, the funds are misused or muscle power becomes the means to address issues, staff and students alike.
One way by which we, being aware citizens of this University, can ensure greater credibility, responsibility and participation from their side is by continuously questioning them through the means of different forums regarding their earlier manifestos and the allocation of funds. The fact that we are the largest democracy of the world gives us an advantage over these parties who live in a constant fear of losing elections if they don’t perform to the best of their abilities. We have to target this weakness of them because this one vote that all of us have is our greatest strength.
Feature Image Credits: PV Purnima for DU Beat
Ananya Bhardwaj
[email protected]

 

The ruckus of college elections has been a major bone of contention between students and DUSU candidates. Shouting while campaigning and openly flouting rules have further aggravated the issue. Could this be why so many colleges are not affiliated to DUSU?

With the elections season dawning upon Delhi University, freshers have managed to catch a glimpse of the obtrusive manner of the month-long frenzy. Classes being disrupted, loud sloganeering resonating through college walls, and a literal sea of pamphlets to step on – these are just a few pointers that the election season is fast approaching.

Despite being an ostentatious simulation of real life-politics, there are a good number of colleges that do not observe this annual commotion as they aren’t affiliated to the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) body. St. Stephen’s College, Kamala Nehru College, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, etc. form the minority of colleges that are not involved in the DUSU election process and have a separate college union in replacement of that.

There is a clause in the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations that explains how colleges should be a part of DUSU. Under section 6.1.7, it is written, “Subject to the autonomy of the universities in respect of the choice of the mode of election, all universities must institute an apex student representative body that represents all students, colleges, and departments coming under the particular university. In the event that the university is geographically widespread, individual colleges may constitute their own representative bodies, which would further elect representatives for the apex university body.” The Lyngdoh Committee guidelines were issued by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2006 in accordance with the direction of the Supreme Court to reform students’ union elections. The implementation of these recommendations is largely missing, as rules are continuously flouted and we still observe the use of money and muscle power in politics.

It’s astounding to think of at first – why aren’t so many colleges affiliated to the official students’ union? After further research and pondering, a pattern of sorts can be observed. Most colleges that have distanced themselves from DUSU are girls’ colleges, and a lot of them have been vying for an autonomous status since the past year. St. Stephen’s College and Lady Shri Ram College for Women have their own student unions in place and a remarkable absence of the hullabaloo that is mainstream in North Campus. Bharati College pulled itself out from DUSU’s wing in 2008, as did Jesus and Mary College about 40 years back when students opted against the DUSU system for governance, citing the politicised atmosphere as a top reason. Daulat Ram College, Gargi College and Indraprastha College for Women are also not affiliated to DUSU. While there is no one particular reason why popular colleges are digressing further away from student politics, the hotly debated question pops up frequently: is a college’s student union a better choice over DUSU?

Many colleges like Miranda House and Shri Ram College of Commerce have adopted a unique approach to address this issue; they conduct DUSU elections and have an active students’ union to facilitate the representation of its college students at a university-wide platform and ensure day-to-day governance in the hands of the college union. With upto 14,000 votes clocked for NOTA and a declining voter turnout down by nearly 7% from the previous year, many continue to doubt the relevance of DUSU elections. Apart from a basic exposure to politics at university level and large-scale cultural events, DUSU functions are similar to those of college unions, the ruckus and mess caused by them notwithstanding. Whether colleges continue to stay under the umbrella of DUSU or plan to digress, only time will tell.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Hindu

Vijeata Balani
[email protected]

The University of Delhi, in a press release on Monday, notified the dates for the election of office bearers of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) and members of the Central Council, the most awaited students’ election contest in the country. The election are to be held on 12 September 2017 for the 2017-18 academic session.

The last date for the receipt of nomination papers and the security and publication of the list of duly nominated candidates for both DUSU and Central Council members will be 4 September 2017. The DUSU nomination papers are to be submitted to the Chief Election Officer, DUSU and the final list of candidates will be released on 6 September 2017. The date, time, and venue for the counting of votes  will be announced later.

21082017notification-schedule-of-election-of-dusu-2017-18

DUSU is the umbrella council for Delhi University’s various colleges and faculties. Each college will also hold its own students’ union elections within the same period as well. The campus is already buzzing with excitement which is visible through littering of pamphlets and active campaigning and propaganda by the various students’ wings and their members in SUVs and on motorcycles.
Feature Image Credits: University of Delhi

Oorja Tapan
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In  a world where there are 5 steps for everything, be it flying to the sun, we come up with three, even lesser than 5,  infallible ways to win our elections.

Being the proud denizens of the great republic of India, we have had the unequal privilege of enjoying the unpredictability of the vibrant Indian democracy for almost 70 years. Our pious elections are won by the virtue of a candidate’s flawless track record, unquestionable honesty and  knack for development and public welfare, a manifesto which caters aspirations of the people and numerous other paradigms of dharma; so were you told by the political science textbook of class 10th.

Now these are difficult boxes to tick and hence results generally used to be a surprise.

But not anymore. Here we come with 3 foolproof tricks which are 100% guaranteed to make a party rise above the rest and come up with flying (saffron, preferably) colours in a general election.

 

  1.   The Time Factor.

You must have heard the saying that early bird catches the worm. So here is the trick- Hijack the social media and you have hijacked the minds. If you are ruling currently, start projecting your achievements, scarce they may be. If you are on the other side of the table, fret not. Start with bashing the ruling party. Next run to a poet and come up with some jumlas or some cool acronyms. The most important part, start selling dreams and other lures. Hesitate to nothing, even sky is not the limit anymore. (Need a hint- How about making petrol completely free? ). Fake data, false stats, or illegit allegations, all is fair.

 

  1.   The Mr. X. factor

Not having a very good candidate, worry not. Find a superstar campaigner. Or else hire one. Works magic if you have the prime minister campaigning for you.

 

  1. Vote Management.

Now that you are done with campaigns and false claims, it’s time for the finishing move a.k.a polarisation. But you don’t have to do the dirty work, just make an air of it. Media will instantly go gaga. Your opponents will consequently voice minority, hence irate majority and lo! your mission is accomplished. To hell with social fabrics, only winning counts.

 

Picture credits- rediff.com

 

Nikhil Kumar

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