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The repeating points in manifestos every year in DUSU Elections

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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]

 

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Campus Central

From St. Stephen’s to LSR: why are so many colleges not under DUSU?

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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
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DUSU Elections 2017

DUSU Polls to be Held on 12 September

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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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DUB Speak

How to win a general election in India

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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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DUB News

Opposition claims EVM rigging in recent state assembly polls

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Mayawati from Bahujan Samaj Party and Arvind Kejriwal from Aam Aadmi Party claim that EVM’s have been rigged to tamper with state election results.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed on Wednesday that rigged voting machines transferred his party’s votes to the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party combine in Punjab, while BSP chief Mayawati said she would seek court help for a probe into “tampering” in Uttar Pradesh.  Mayawati’s claims are also supported by Akhilesh Yadav, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and the leader of the Samajwadi Party, who fought the 2017 election in a coalition with the Indian National Congress.

The Aam Aadmi Party came second in the Punjab elections, 77 seats out of the 117 member assembly were secured by the Indian National Congress, making it the victorious party. Similarly, Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party was decimated in Punjab, getting just 19 seats in the 403 strong assembly. Following the allegations, the Election Commission reaffirmed that Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) cannot be tampered with. Union Minister, Harsimrat Kaur Badal remarked, “He (Kejriwal) has lost his mental balance so he is saying things like this. He did not say anything when AAP won 67 seats in Delhi”. Kejriwal demanded that the Election Commission count votes of verifiable paper trail-enabled EVMs to “restore credibility of the EVMs”.

In Lucknow, Mayawati repeated similar charges. The BJP’s victory smacked of “fraud”, she said, adding her party would observe 11th of every months as a black day against the “murder of democracy” by the saffron party. Within hours of the result being declared, Mayawati wrote to the EC demanding a fresh election. However, the EC dismissed Mayawati’s claims as they were not substantiated by any form of concrete proof.

Image Credits: Jansatta

Joyee Bhattacharya

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DUB News

Elections: A Secular Exercise?

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In a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court, the judicial body has passed governance wherein no political party can conjure votes on the foundation of religion, caste and creed.

The verdict by the apex court was announced as a result of deliberations by a seven-member bench and was a follow-up to a petition filed in 1996. Seeking to retain the secular ethos of the Constitution, it takes into account the vague nature of Section 123 (3) of the Representation of the People Act (1951) which states that appeals made by candidates on the grounds of religion, race, caste, community, or language would be banned. The ruling is sought to shed clarity on the wordings, so as the conclusion to be a wholesome ban on the use of religion in campaigning practices. This shall have rippling effects on the forthcoming state elections coined to take place in UP, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Manipur; three out of five states where caste politics is a major factor in soliciting alliances and votes.

In its functional representation, a wall is being endeavored to be built between state and religion. The Constitution ascribes India as a secular country, and this move pushes the foundational strength of that claim. It can be understood that by the rule of extension, elections should also be viewed as a secular practice. Thus, the aim was to embellish the secular character of India; a country which is characterised by its confluence of diverse backgrounds.

This judicial activism aiming to fill the gap between one of the laws can be deemed promising, yet is a long throw from being effectively implemented to becoming successful. Firstly, there is the argument of Free Speech according to which discussions on religion and caste are constitutionally protected and cannot be restricted. Thus, any party genuinely working towards the escalation of minority classes will find itself in a predicament. Secondly, the law has existed before, and only a certain aspect of it has been modified. However, its working remains inadequate since Independence. Thirdly, the implementation is a major hindrance which needs to be entangled. Appealing for votes by pulling the banned strings is not done in the open, and is subtle in approaching voters which may prove to be hard to monitor. Fourthly, this controversial move can prove to be an advantage for BJP as it lobbies for Hindus and Hindutva particularly, which the Supreme Court in 1995 ruled as ‘a way of life’ and not a religion, and thus handing them a rabbit’s escape.

The apex court’s ruling is plausible for national reasons but unfortunately is also rigged with loopholes which might result in it being one of the forgotten laws of the land.

Image Credits: International Business Times

Saumya Kalia

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DUB Speak

Fascism: Word of the Year?

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Fascism: a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual, and that stands for a centralised autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.

 

In the process of looking up the above definition on Merriam-Webster’s website, I’ve made my contribution towards making fascism Webster’s ‘Word of the Year.’ The word that has been looked up the maximum number of times on the website receives that prestigious position of word of the year. While announcing the likelihood that fascism may become its word of the year, Merriam-Webster took to Twitter to send out an entreaty-“there’s still time to look something else up.”

In related news, Oxford Dictionary has declared ‘post-truth’(relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief) its word of the year, while dictionary.com has gone with xenophobia (dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries). The pattern is hard to miss.

Why this fuss about a ‘word of the year,’ you ask? They tend to reflect the socio-political situation we are currently faced with, though to a largely limited extent. A single word fails to capture the plurality of experiences across the world, but does serve as a mirror image of the ideas that are bandied about in conversations or in the media, virtual or otherwise.

While 2016 cannot be described in a word, our concern lies primarily with the circumstances that have led several thousand across the world to take to the internet and find out what ‘fascism’ or ‘xenophobia’ might mean. Acknowledging such words as ‘words of the year’ would involve accepting the unfortunate idea that such circumstances predominate in the minds of a large number of people, and this can be a scary prospect when it comes to terms like fascism. The world definitely hasn’t forgotten what happened the last time fascism gained ground as an ideology.

Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the United Nations human rights Chief, claims that, “The rhetoric of fascism is no longer confined to a secret underworld of fascists meeting in illicit clubs. It is becoming part of normal daily discourse. In some parts of the USA and Europe, anti-foreigner rhetoric full of unbridled vitriol and hatred, is proliferating to a frightening degree.” This rhetoric is evident in Donald Trump’s plan to build an “impenetrable, tall, physical, powerful, beautiful, southern border wall” between the USA and Mexico, and in his suggestion of a ‘register’ for Muslims.

Though Trump occupies pride of place in the media, he isn’t the only one sounding the death knell for liberalism. European politicians like Germany’s Frauke Petry and Sweden’s Jimmie Akesson have been consistently opposed to ‘open-door’ refugee policies. An 89-year old survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp recently took to the internet to appeal to people not to vote for a far-right Austrian politician, Norbert Hofer, as their President. She draws similarities between Hofer’s politics and fascism of the pre-second world war period. There have been allegations that India is also currently experiencing fascist undercurrents.

Though Trump has the backing of the people of a democratic nation, having been elected President in a valid election, similarities have also been drawn between Trump’s politics and that of Hitler’s. These similarities, seen not just in Trump but also in several politicians across the world, can be quite appalling.

Maybe looking up other words will help avoid the negativity associated with fascism and xenophobia? But doesn’t the “fear of a name increase fear of the thing itself?”

Maybe we should all look up tolerance instead. Our collective amnesia seems to prevent us from recalling what it means.

 Image credits: Uproxx

Abhinaya Harigovind
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DUB Speak

Hey Trump, Don’t Grab Women at ALL!

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By being barraged by Trump’s chauvinistic political rhetoric we don’t realise how it desensitises us towards the problems that today’s gendered society faces. Here’s why its not okay to grab women by their anything.

Sexism and Donald Trump go hand in glove. Throughout his electioneering his blatantly crude remarks about women makes you wonder what on earth is his PR and campaign team doing. You’d think he would have learnt his lesson after the backlash he received as a result of the lewd remarks he made about women, be it a former Miss Universe or various media house journalists and reporters. In the same breath, he says he cherishes women and “has great respect for women”. And supposedly, “nobody has more”.

He has managed to dig himself yet another grave when Washington Post published a hot mic conversation where he says that if you’re a “star” you could do anything, even grab women by the p***y. Granted this may have been the only time throughout the campaign he has actually apologised for his statement, which he refuted to be “locker room banter”, it still doesn’t compensate for how him making this remark in turn trivialises sexual assault.

Given how all of Trump’s fiascos create such a social media sensation, it’s not surprising that business minded people have caught on. Recently a Mexican restaurant in Toronto shared a picture of their tacos on instagram and captioned it “What if Donald said, grab her by the taco…”. They received a significant amount of backlash from people for it highlights a different kind of problem. Which is that it normalises a culture of violence and brings us back to square one when it comes to fighting for co-equal gender rights. It belittles and naturalises us into thinking that for a woman to be part of a high-profile workforce she shall have to “endure”.

There is an online women empowerment campaign that sells $21 baseball caps that say “Grab Her by the Brain”, of which a mere 10% of the proceeds go to charity. This pseudo counter vocalisation merely taps into a certain political trend in the name of gender equality and doesn’t actually address the gravity of the issue, it converts it into something thats in vogue.

This overbearingly masculine approach that Trump adopts is sure to backfire on him. With each move he makes he further dichotomises himself and Hillary. This campaign has seen such a heightened gender war that one can only hope that its outcome will not be regressive. We are at the precipice of a major unraveling of all the positive changes that have come about in the 21st century at the hands of a misogynistic megalomaniac. What is even more disturbing is that a significant section of the US population applaud him for his actions and sentiments regarding women. Goes to show that we still have a long way to go as a global society. But that being said, we are witness to a turning point in political history where gender/culture wars are at its peak and these contentious issues are at the forefront of people’s social consciousness. A bull like Trump and flawed political rhetoric cannot go unnoticed.

Image Credits: lennyletter/Jess Rotter

Debashree Unni

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Interviews

In conversation with DUSU Vice President, Priyanka Chhawri

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After days of anticipation and a rigorous electoral campaign, ABVP’s Vice Presidential candidate Priyanka Chhawri emerged victorious. A graduate in Mathematics from Lakshmibai College , University of Delhi, and currently pursuing her M.A in Buddhist Studies from Dept. Of Buddhist Studies, DU, from discussing her journey into politics to her plans of bringing changes in the campuse, we got chatting with her about her new found role.

Excerpts:

DUB: What motivated you to pursue your candidature in the DUSU elections? How did your journey into student level politics begin?

Priyanka Chhawri: I am a student activist from the past five years and it all started when I appeared for CATE entrance and saw a group of students protesting at the arts faculty against the DU administration. The protest was led by ABVP.I was so influenced by the student leaders that it occurred to me that I must also be there one day! So when I got admission in LBC,  I joined ABVP and became an active member! I saw a great change in me in these five years. ABVP groomed me into a more confident and responsible person and with time I attained the leadership skills that were needed to contest in DUSU elections and now, here I am, as the DUSU Vice President.

DUB:  What are your some of the key areas that you are personally looking forward to focusing upon in your tenure?

PC: Personally , I would focus more on introducing societies for blind and physically handicapped students, constructing pathways for the same, giving North Campus a new look by putting the map of the campus near metro and recognised places, creating awareness session about the women safety app launched by ABVP – ‘I FEEL SAFE’, in every college, providing health cards,making medical rooms functional in every college and providing the facility of printed mark sheets be issued to students after every semester.

DUB:  The DUSU polls saw some lavish campaigning this time again. What is your take on the guidelines by Lyngdoh Committee and National Green Tribunal about the budget restrictions and green campaigning? Do you think they are realistic targets that can be met?

PC: I think it’s not feasible to contest DUSU election in just 5ooo Rupees. How unrealistic it is, that the same amount is allowed to both contest college elections and DUSU? From the last four years , the Lyngdoh Committee hasn’t been reviewed and it’s time that we look into this matter.So, as an officer bearer, I will certainly put forward this issue. As far as paper usage is concerned, it is reduced as compared to last two years but yes it needs to end and just be limited to wall of democracy and advertising sites.

DUB: Last year saw DUSU office bearers being involved in some controversy or the other and accountability and work transparency was also an issue. How do you seek to tackle that?

PC: ABVP led DUSU is very committed to work for the student welfare and we have started working the day we joined our office. We submitted a memorandum to the DSW concerning the issues of students and currently we are working to combat the recent mass failure of the LL.B students regarding which, we have given a letter to the VC. This DUSU panel is dedicated to work for the student community and we have started our work positively !

DUB: NSUI has alleged discrepancy in the voting process and after a hunger strike, they are now planning to move to the court. What is your take on this whole matter?

PC: DU is a democratic university and it’s NSUI’s democratic right to get their doubts clear but I think by doing this they are questioning the mandate of the students. I think they should accept the decision of the students and move on and raise students issues rather than sitting and challenging the choice of students.

DUB: Having gone through the entire process of filing nominations, becoming the final candidate to actually winning, is there anything that you wish to change (procedural or otherwise) in the way DUSU elections unfold?

PC: From filing the nomination to actually contesting DUSU was a great experience. The administration has been very cautious during the scrutiny. But, an incident that seemed like a failure to me was when a candidate who filled the nomination was not present during scrutiny. It should become mandatory for all the candidates to be present during that process.

DUB: DUSU elections have been known to provide the country with some of the finest ministers we have had at the helm of authority in the past. Do you see yourself there? Do you plan to continue in politics?

PC: As of now , I will be working for the students and continue as a student activist.

DUB: Any interesting anecdote you would like to share with us that happened during the election process?

PC: Yes. Once I was delivering a speech in Shaheed Bhagat Singh College. I was in such a hurry (because it was the last day to campaign and I had to cover many colleges) that I forgot the last part and garbled some words and ran away. The students found it so funny and they said, ‘Hum samajh gaye aapki bhaavna’.

DUB: In a line, how would you define your motto for this year as a DUSU office bearer?

PC: I want this DUSU panel to be a medium of exposure for the student community. I will work on involving more students in every activity that is organised by DUSU!

Interviewed by Riya Chhibber

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Uncategorized

Rajdhani College Elections: 2 posts, 8 candidates, 36 nominations!

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The Student Union Elections in Rajdhani College witnessed 36 nominations for the only 2 posts of Central Councillor.

This year, the students of Rajdhani College actively participated in the elections. The desire for the post went so bizarre that 36 candidates ended up filing nominations for the only 2 posts of Central Councillor that the college union has.

The college witnessed a huge protest on 2nd September against the Principal and election committee members as students in big numbers gathered in front of the college gate restricting any entry or exit, to raise their voices against the cancellation of about 30 nominations for the post Central Councillor. College guards doing their righteous duty held the gate and controlled the mob as far as possible. The situation soon became eccentric and the Police men showed up to established the decorum.

It was after hours that the members of the staff finally made an appearance and justified the procedure and decision of choosing a particular nominee and certainly assured that no unjustified candidate will be allowed to contest the elections. They also mentioned that they’ll be reconsidering all the applications just to make sure that all the worthy and deserving make it to the list.

Soon the classes resumed and nobody was penalised though, students actively participating in protest were given a warning.

The college staff avoiding ambiguity for students made a wise decision by being very harsh with the selection process of nominees. The criteria looked upon while selecting a particular candidate consisted attendance, academic records, behaviour of the student with teachers and students, to name a few. Last year 19 students contested for the two posts. The number shrunk down to 8 in spite of more nominations.

It was finally on 9th September that the results were announced with Avnish Malik, B.Sc. (Honours) Chemistry, Third year, and Sahil Antil, B.A. (Honours) History, First year, ended up winning the elections.

Hardik Kakar

[email protected]

Image Source: indianexpress.com

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