Tag

DUSU elections 2018

Browsing

Ankiv Baisoya, former leader from Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has been refused bail by a Delhi Court. Baisoya was elected as the president of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), shortly after which he tendered his resignations when the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) alleged that he had proffered fake certificates.

Former ABVP leader, Ankiv Baisoya’s bail application in the fake mark sheet case has been dismissed by a Delhi Court. They observed that this “custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the racket of making forged and fabricated mark sheets/degrees”, as reported by the Indian Express.

Baisoya acquired admission under the University of Delhi’s (DU) M.A. program in Buddhist Studies course in July and submitted mark sheets from Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvalluvar University (TU) for B.A. as his qualifying certification. The ABVP leader was elected DUSU president on 13th September 2018. Soon after the polls, the NSUI alleged he had submitted fake certificates, amidst these allegations the TU registrar wrote to the Tamil Nadu Department of Higher Education, stating that Baisoya was neither enrolled in the Varsity nor any of its constituents or affiliated institutions. Hence, Baisoya revoked his Presidency and was dismissed from ABVP. His candidature was taken by Shakti Singh, who remained President for DUSU 2018-19.

As reported by Indian Express, sessions Judge Mohammad Farrukh, in his order, said, “the investigation, in this case, is still going on and the applicant/accused is not cooperating in the investigation and has not disclosed the name of the person from whom the forged and fabricated mark sheet was obtained”. Reeta Sharma, the counsel for Delhi Police, told the court that Baisoya had not joined the investigation in the case, and asked the court to issue non-bailable warrants against him.

On the other hand, Baisoya’s advocates, Zeeshan Hashmi, and Salman Hashmi, revealed that he is busy appearing for another Court Case registered in 2017 where he is accused of entering Daulat Ram College in 2017 and damaging college property during a protest.

DU Beat contacted Mr. Siddharth Yadav, State Secretary, ABVP for a response but but he was unavailable to comment on the same.

Feature Image Credits: The Print

Shreya Juyal
[email protected]

The din of electoral sloganeering has been replaced with the protests about EVM tampering. We shouldn’t worry about the noise though, it will die soon. We should be bothered about how the controversies around elections have been normalised. 

On the 13th of September 2018, results of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections were to be declared. It was a big day not just for the candidates or for those who cover student politics, but also for big media houses. It was one of those occasions when the University of Delhi (DU) becomes important. The polls more or less reflect the mood of national politics, and it’s believed that those who rule DUSU will end up ruling the Parliament. A huge crowd of media vans, supporters, and police were deployed at the Community Center, GTB Nagar. The crowd, comprising overwhelmingly of men, competed with roaring slogans as a show of strength. They changed the names of their male leaders, but not one slogan was raised for the female candidates. You can’t help but notice the glaring absence of women in these types of public spaces.

A few days before the elections, Professor V.K. Kaul, Chief Election Officer, DU, published an appeal to the students of DU. Those, like us, who did read it realised that it was a copy of the last year’s appeal. The letter said 2017 in the body of its content. “Your decision to support only those candidates who respect the rules governing elections will go a long way in helping the University conduct the elections as per the law,” said the appeal. In its stoic language the appeal makes a great point, but let’s not forget where it is coming from. The DU administration constantly fails to conduct peaceful polls. During the course of voting, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), whose own genesis is debatable, fails, the code of conduct is violated, and the candidates are never held accountable for their deeds.

The DU Election Commission doesn’t care, its appeal is a farce. After the initial hiccup, where one EVM was seen as faulty, the counting began again. A sole media person, closely followed by the representatives of political parties, would come out and give the latest update about the current vote count. The fact that these updates were greedily given and consumed after every 15 minutes shows how media considers trivial information important. By egging on the anticipation of results, it fails to focus on questions like, “Why are the representatives coming out and declaring the latest count to their waiting supporters when it’s against the code of conduct?” The fueling of passions can any second lead to a violent confrontation, then why is this prompting being allowed? We spotted a SFI candidate trying to get signals in spite of the jammers. I asked her, “Has your vote share increased?” She pointedly declined to comment and said they can’t discuss anything about it while counting is going on. I admire her faith in the rule of law.

The policemen stand lazily and gossip. You will notice those who come from the North-East huddled together, the female officers talking in a close group, their demarcation being obvious. “Will they protect us if the barricades break?” we wondered. At one point we discussed the exit strategy in case they broke loose. Detailed scanning of the location was quickly followed by a decision to meet at a designated point in case we get separated. Live coverage had become an occupational hazard. This is what the counting of mere 44% of voter turnout takes.

Soon enough, the results were declared. A loud public celebration broke; we scooted after clicking the generic pictures before things got messy. While dogging the rowdy celebrations, I recalled what our Editor, Kinjal Pandey, wrote in the last editorial, “DUSU politics was never too ugly, we just neglected what was ours for too long.” We deserved this, congratulations.

Feature Image Credits: The Hindustan Times

Niharika Dabral

[email protected]

The board is set, the pieces are now moving. The battle is won, but the cause is lost. Do you sense the same?

The roads are all strange these days, without the smattering of a thousand flyers and pamphlets. It is almost disappointing to not see the flyers fall around the campus. Almost consoling are the misspelt names on the Wall(s) of Democracy. As the campus finally breathes in all its silence, the screaming political sobriety is in question. So, what follows now? Is it too early to recede to our apprehensions? Some might agree, but then there was never much space for agendas in those swanky BMWs on roads so choked with flyers. Beards and gold rings drove these SUVs and sedans, and beards and gold rings drive politics now.
Politics is a progression in the sense that it has always followed patterns. There are changes, but not necessarily as we would like to have them. After a raging contest of power in the past fortnight, the election results were in favour of some, while many others were left baffled. In an endless volley of blames and shaming, we saw some candidates rise to power recently. You hope to make sense out of it, but it all reduces to a clout of pointless manifesto promises. How long before these promises are fulfilled? Will the year be enough? Anyone who is even remotely familiar with the idea of politics will know what it means in practice. Agendas are good, but for a change, we would like to see some action too. Ironically, the only action we see is the action of the fist. In multiple brawls and the loss of public property, what is damaged most is the very idea of politics. Most of our representatives think that all politics has to offer is power, and power in India is scarce anyway. Responsibility is fantastical, so we cannot use this word for our politics. Politics is always about differentiated representation because two opinions can never be alike. This is what democracy implies, after all, it is the freedom to choose a representative. However, politics has become more divisive than ever before – it is driven by everything but democratic ethics. In DUSU, caste politics prevails, for instance, and in the national perspective, the division extends to manifold realms.
This year, like most years, political outfits claimed their primary objective to be that of women safety and claimed to improve their representation, the opportunities available to them, and provide a better environment to them in general. Introduction of U-special buses has been on the card since long, and new ideas like under INR 10 thali have been introduced this year. What we fail to observe amongst these tall promises is the question of what could possibly be their plan of action here? Being apolitical is a choice, but indifference can only mean ignorance that refuses to see the truth, and ignorance seems to sit at the core of all our problems. It is only right then, to be informed, aware, active, and to fight back with our form of dissent laced with logical arguments. The agendas might find fulfilment or hope to do so still, but only with an initiative from our side and that of the elected leaders.
Power gives you the strength to change, to reinvent, and to exercise an idea for the betterment of a cause. No one is wrong to expect this from those who stand for the upholding of power, but we all know who has the last laugh.
Kartik Chauhan

In a continuously changing turn of events, Ankiv Baisoya, the elected DUSU President of ABVP, revealed to be registered in Delhi University. In a recent report of The Times of India, the Admission Panel has decided to meet regarding this case after multiple alleged complaints received from rival student political outfits.

Recently brought to light by the NSUI, the elected DUSU President’s degree and education is a bone of contention for the varsity and the media alike. Ever since its inception, the accusation has caught the President in a a state of questionable merit, literally. The fiasco surrounding his alleged fake degree from the Thiruvalluvar University in Vellore has found strength to discredit Baisoya’s election. In an interesting revelation, Baisoya has been found to be a student of Delhi University’s College of Vocational Studies for the session 2013-2016, exactly the duration of his studying in Thiruvalluvar University.

 

Marksheet

Documents accessed by Newslaundry claim the truth of this statement. In the attendance sheet of students of the fifth and sixth semester  of B.A. Economics (Honors), Baisoya is enlisted with his roll number 90, in CVS.

1

Despite never having attended any class for the two papers ‘International Trade’ and ‘Political Economy’ as indicated by the attendance sheet, Baisoya’s name enlisted as a student is a legitimate verification of his association with the college. The faculty and others also vouched for the President’s relationship with CVS. As told to Newslaundry, “I remember him because he had a rather peculiar name,” said one of the professors from the Economics Department. Another professor from the Political Science Department vouched for Baisoya’s active political indulgence even during college. Baisoya, himself, has retained his ambiguity with his correspondence, evading questions completely or giving bleary answers like, “that university which is being referred” (TU).

 

Monika Chaudhary, National Media Coordinator for ABVP, accepted that Ankiv Baisoya was a student of CVS during 2013-2016. “He withdrew his admission in 2016,” she said. “His case doesn’t fall under the dual degree case.” She went on to claim that Baisoya had studied from both DU and TU, 1000 kms apart. She said that Ankiv made a “mistake” and had withdrawn his admission from DU in 2016. She also assured of sharing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued by the DU administration.

Baisoya claims that during the said three years, he travelled frequently from Delhi to Vellore.

Since 17 September, after NSUI’s initial claim that Baisoya’s TU degree is fraudulent, popular media publications have been roped in by the TU’s acceptance that indeed the supplied marksheets and documents are fake. In a quote to a TV channel, Baisoya said “the allegations were false and baseless,” and that he was going to file a defamation case against the NSUI.

A letter acknowledging the same fabrication has surfaced. Speaking to a leading daily, controller of examinations at the University said, “This letter has been sent from our controller’s office. It has been signed by the controller. The certificate is without a doubt fake.”

Amid all this, when Baisoya was asked his date of graduating from TU, he seemed lost in history. If the degree is fake, how can Baisoya be a student of two universities – DU and TU both? This is a clear violation of law and norms. The principal of DU’S CVS College, Dr Inderjeet Dagar propagates silence, indefinitely. What follows next for the ABVP and Baisoya himself remains to be seen. The judgement awaits, and so does welfare.

 

Feature Image Credits: Newslaundry

 

Kartik Chauhan

[email protected]

DUSU (Delhi University Students’ Union) election is the time to relish the University’s characteristic aura. Unfortunately, unaffiliated colleges are denied this. Here’s what the marginalised community misses out on:

  •  Monetary Relief

As students of colleges unaffiliated with DUSU, we are considered ineligible for receiving payments. While other students are entitled to receive customised stationery branded with misspelled names of VIPs in return for a mere promise of votes, we cannot even avail free eatables and movie tickets. Flyers do not lay around for us. Instead, we have to recycle our precious newspapers as mats for our books and butts. Also, is there any point in paying taxes when we can’t be a part of litter production that the government is paid to clean up?

  •  The Grand Annual Carnival

Delhi University election is that happening time of the year when the campus transforms into a maha mela nagri. Colleges are adorned with festoons containing names of the sponsors. Campaigners throw flyers like confetti to convey their existence, through which students familiarise with previously unknown contesting candidates. Jeeps loaded with peppy youngsters block the roads to make room for more peppy youngsters jigging to the tune of the dholwala. Sadly, we hardly get to experience these festivities.

  •  Awareness Programmes

General knowledge is not at our tips, thanks to the fact that nobody recites party manifestos and ballot numbers to us. Similarly, we are neither explicitly or casually cautioned about the wrongdoings of other parties, nor advised preventive measures to ensure upcoming developments that are in store for us. We understand that elections should not concern us since we do not play a part as voters, but it is a matter of shame that we are not up-to-date regarding DUSU affairs, considering that today’s student politicians are prospective future change makers of the country.

  •  Anti Monotony Therapy

Election-themed tiles on walls and floors do not endearingly follow us to our washrooms. We have to bear through the entirety of our lectures without recurrent or perpetual sloganeering keeping us refreshed. DUSU goons aren’t interested to entertain us with their acts of hooliganism, due to which our college remains devoid of live brawling and vandalism. We do not of encounter real-life Bollywood situations like enthusiastic young students sticking out of open jeeps and sunroofs. Our colleges lack young vibes due to minimal graffiti. This is not what our college life was supposed to be like, our expectations have gone down the drain.

  •  Social Inclusion

Even as Freshers, we were never insisted to accept the immense unconditional hospitalities that our future mentors had to offer, let alone being the recipients of welcome garlands on our first day of college. Unsolicited reminders, good mornings, WhatsApp group adds and Facebook tags never warm our hearts. Even the compulsory participation for campaigning isn’t expected from us. Pamphlets are never handed out to us in person except for when we are mistaken as desirable a.k.a. potential voters. We are also deprived of habitual celebrity visits that we always longed since we started keeping a track of the personalities occurring on campus posters and hoardings. Basically, we are treated unworthily of love.

In a nutshell, we are being subjected to the discrimination that no college deserves to suffer. This clearly defies the spirit of an ethical democracy.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

 Ananya Acharya
[email protected]

In a protest, the NSUI launched an attack on the ABVP for alleged EVM tampering during the DUSU elections as well as the University administration for being complicit in this.

The National Student’s Union of India (NSUI) launched a protest in Arts Faculty in front of the Dean’s office against the recently announced election results, claiming that there was EVM tampering and fraud in the counting done by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in collaboration with the University administration. The protest happened for a brief period of time while the NSUI volunteers shouted slogans like “DU VC hai hai! (down with the DU VC!)” in front of the Dean’s office. They also proceeded to burn an effigy of the Vice-Chancellor (VC) on the road in front of the Arts Faculty.

DU Beat talked to several NSUI activists on the scene. Pragya Tomar, an NSUI activist, said that out of 126 EVM machines, only the votes of 119 EVM machines were counted. “Our candidate was ahead and then in the last round, we lost by around 700 votes. So, there is definitely a conspiracy by BJP government…Also, private EVMs were used…We have given formal complaints but there has been no reply from the University administration till now.”

Another activist on the scene said, “If the central government can be complicit in tampering, this is not democracy…we want free and fair elections and if then the ABVP wins, then we have no problem.”

Meanwhile, the NSUI Delhi’s official twitter account published a letter by Manoj Kumar, the Election Officer (EVM) who claimed that the Election Commission had issued no EVMs to University of Delhi (DU).

Leena, the NSUI 2018 candidate for the post of Vice-President, told DU Beat that the EVMs were also brought in from the back door, instead of the front door at the counting centre, which spoke of ghotala (scandal). “They (ABVP) were scared because they knew they would not secure even one seat in DU…We will go the courts looking for answers about why such betrayal has happened with the students of DU.”

DU Beat talked to Bharat Khatana, the State Secretary of ABVP Delhi who dismissed the allegations as baseless. “The counting and the election was not done by ABVP. It was done in the presence of candidates and media. Only one EVM malfunctioned of about 440 votes in Ballot no. 10 which had no candidate. Counting was halted. Then, all the parties accepted that these votes would not be counted…And then after everyone agreed, counting started again.”

When asked about the allegations of the University administration being in league with the ABVP, Mr. Khatana said, “Then the NSUI should also accept that last year they were in league with the University administration when they won two seats…these are totally false accusations.”

DU Beat also talked to Shakti Singh, the newly elected DUSU Vice-President and Jyoti Chaudhury, the newly elected Joint Secretary of DUSU, both of whom repeated Mr. Khatana’s arguments. When asked about the EVMs being issued by private companies instead of the Election Commission, Shakti Singh said, “It is the mandate of around 1.5 lakh students which should be respected. These issues should be handled by the University administration and Election Commission.”

Feature Image Credits: Aakarsh Gupta for DU Beat

Sara Sohail

[email protected]

After a tumultuous day of tensions and a very close call for the post of President, the DUSU election results were announced, with ABVP’s Ankiv Baisoya elected as the DUSU President and ABVP’s Shakti Singh winning the post of Vice President, NSUI’s Akash securing the post of Secretary, and ABVP’s Jyoti Choudhary winning the post of Joint Secretary.

Image Source: ABVP
Image Source: ABVP

The counting took place in Community Centre, Kingsway Camp. Until 12:30 p.m., NSUI’s Sunny Chillar was leading in the post of President, while ABVP was leading in the other three posts.

Due to discrepancies observed in the EVM machines, counting came to multiple halts throughout the day, and was even suspended for the day around 3 p.m. NSUI alleged ABVP of tampering with the Electronic Voter Machines (EVMs) and have reportedly stated that the machines display votes for Ballot No. 10 for counting of the Secretary post, which is apparently for a non-existent candidate, as the last Ballot no. was 9 for NOTA. In total, 6 EVM machines were found faulty and the protests broke out in the venue with chanting of slogans against the DU administration and the VC.

Rocky Tuseed, the current office bearer for President, was not allowed to exit the counting area, and was asked to sign a document stating for re-counting to take place tomorrow, which he categorically refused from doing.

Reportedly, a fight broke out between ABVP’s Sunny Tanwar and NSUI’s Saurabh Yadav, and the police was on the verge of resorting to lathi charge to disperse the crowd.

Ruchi Gupta, the Media in-charge of NSUI took to Twitter to express her dismay in the counting process, with repeated EVM glitches and halting of counting.

 

The counting of votes resumed from 5:50 p.m. and security measures were beefed up. Meanwhile, ABVP had asked NSUI and CYSS to accept results, and not indulge in “tactics” of claiming the EVMs to be faulty.

Once voting resumed, around 7:30 p.m., Sunny Chillar, the Presidential candidate from NSUI was leading, and by 8:50, he was leading by a close margin of 50 votes. The rounds which were subsequent to resuming counting witnessed a close call in the post of the President’s position. Eventually, ABVP’s Ankiv Baisoya won by around 2000 votes.

This year of DUSU Elections registered a record-high voter turnout with 44.46% till 7:30 p.m. yesterday, in comparison to 43% in the previous year, and a dismal 34.3% in 2016.

Anoushka Sharma

Niharika Dabral

 

Feature Image Credits: Saubghagya Saxena for DU Beat

In the year 1973, the University of Delhi (DU) expanded in order to keep up with the ever-increasing number of students and, therefore, the South Campus was established.

The Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) is a body that represents the concerns of enrolled students in front of the administration and also has the job of organising cultural activities for the colleges it is affiliated with. Every year, the parties like the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad amongst others, contest elections. However, there are many colleges that have their own internal students’ unions and are not affiliated with DUSU at all. In the North Campus, colleges like St. Stephen’s College, Indraprastha College for Women, and Daulat Ram College are a part of that group. Despite not being affiliated with DUSU, they get to witness the best and worst of the elections season, by virtue of being in the campus.

This becomes all the more evident in the South Campus, particularly in girls’ colleges like Jesus and Mary College, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, and Maitreyi College, which do not have any involvement with the DU students’ politics and their first-year students, often, have no idea about these parties.

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 section 6.1.7(f) states, “Subject to the autonomy of the universities in respect of the choice of the mode of election, all universities and institute must have 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. Such colleges feel like their internal students’ body does a much better job at representing the problems of the students because they are a part of that college themselves and the process of elections is less complicated. Ironically, the section 6.3 of the Lyngdoh Committee also states that there must be disassociation of student elections and student representation from political parties. This section has been outrageously neglected as all the DUSU parties are college-level counterparts of national political parties. The implementation of these recommendations is highly questionable when it comes to DU politics. Besides, there are also recommendations like INR 5000 being the maximum expenditure per candidate and there should be no disturbance of academic and non-academic activities of the university.

The election campaigning, in reality, sees all manners of over-budgeting. Be it fancy cars, free meals, or the sea of flyers, these candidates leave no stone unturned to ensure victory. North Campus students often complain of classes being disrupted, harassment by party members, or supporters and other forms of unpleasant incidents during elections, but the South Campus girls’ colleges are far from it.

We, as South Campus students, are saved from all of this trouble. But in the end, the question remains: are we missing out on an integral part of the DU experience?

Feature Image Credits: The Hindu

Maumil Mehraj

[email protected]

We are almost near elections, and the entire University is simmering in the heat of the DUSU election fever. 

On a daily basis when you walk into your college, electoral candidates swarm around you like bees with scores of marigold garlands around their necks. Each of them hands over a small card with their name on it which says, “Please vote and support.”
What to expect:

As a student of Delhi University, you must be acquainted with the fact that these elections are a reflection of the general elections at the pan-India level, with huge crowds of people walking around the campus, tossing pieces of paper all over the place. But they also prove to be a source of valuable exposure. Not only do they introduce the students to the nuances of politics, but also provide adequate opportunities for people to connect and socialise. Students get an avenue to share their problems and expect solutions to them.

In order to ensure that your college session flows smoothly through the election period, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Always vote:

Election Day should not be considered as a holiday. Elections are the lifeblood of a democratic scaffold, and are important for its survival. Make sure you are responsible enough to cast your vote on time to the candidate you find the most suitable, unmoved by what others perceive, and free from prejudices. Ensuring this shall make
you a responsible student, an aware individual, and a self-respecting adult. Remember that the essence of a democratic setup lies in the freedom to choose a representative. Voting is an individual right, nobody can force you to vote against your will. Voting is your intrinsic right as a student of the University, and you should make it count.
Never support the use of unfair means:

Political parties and individuals affiliated to them sometimes go to wrongful extents to ensure their seat in office. Often an incentive of a hefty return in exchange for a vote is utilised as a common tactic. Several accounts of students getting free meals, movie tickets, trips to amusement parks a week before the elections float around the University in abundance! Always bear in your mind that each and every vote has a substantial effect on the political framework, and hence, on the life of students of the University. Thus, your vote accounts not only for you, but also for thousands of other students you are studying with. Remember that “selling your vote” is an idea that is undemocratic and is also liable to attract administrative punishment, if caught.

Don’t indulge in negative campaigning:

Even if you do not appreciate a candidate or their ideologies, remember that there are ways to democratically put forth your opinions, as opposed to passing rude comments and engaging in negative campaigning. Negative campaigning is against the virtue of a democratic election. It reflects insecurity and mistrust in your own choice, as opposed to reflecting weakness on the flip side of the coin. There will always be multiple differing opinions and ideas for you to choose from. Making a choice does not make you wrong, but belittling others from making a choice varying from yours does.

Abstain from heated arguments:

You may think that the person you support is the most deserving for certain reasons, while others would do the same for someone else. In case of such differences, it is always best to keep your cool while someone from the opposing block is expressing their opinion. Keep in mind that it is the “virtue of the wise to keep mum.” The heated arguments shall disturb not only the parties concerned, but also those around whom all of this shall occur. Adding to that, the DUSU elections can become a really sensitive matter at the drop of a hat.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat.

Aashish Jain

[email protected]