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DUSU Elections 2018

Interview with Aakash Choudhary, Secretary of Delhi University Students’ Union

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On Sunday, 23rd September 2018, DU Beat conducted an interview with Aakash Choudhary, the newly elected Secretary of Delhi University Students Union from National Students’ Union of India.

Here are the excerpts from the interview:

Question: Tell us about your journey from being a student in Sri Aurobindo College to DUSU Secretary.
Aakash: I took admission in Sri Aurobindo College (SAC) in 2014 and later contested the election in college for the post of President in 2015. That was the biggest election in terms of margin of votes where I won by 450 votes. I also
stood in the state NSUI elections and continued my studies simultaneously. In 2017, I graduated from SAC and
took admission in Campus Law Centre. I cleared my first and second semester exams with an aggregate of 58 percent, with 75 percent attendance. Then, I contested for DUSU elections. The party also considered me since I
had a good academics and attendance record. I had also been very active in the student politics. I had planned all
this in 2012 itself.

Question: Now that you are the DUSU Secretary, which are the areas you would like to focus on?
Aakash: The off-campus colleges like Aditi Mahavidyalaya, Bhagini Nivedita College are very far and it takes almost
two hours to reach there. When I visited these colleges, I noticed there were no proper playgrounds and sports facilities for students. In fact, many off-campus colleges do not have a proper functional library, medical
room or even a water cooler. So, firstly, I would like to focus on these colleges and provide them with the facilities
available to the other colleges.

Question: How do you plan to ensure a violence-free campus where our academics remain free from political
interference?
Aakash: NSUI campaigned last year with the motto of ensuring a violence-free campus, free from money, and
muscle power. The campus was peaceful last year, with no violence and insolence. This year we repeated the points of violence free campus in our manifesto. However, due to some reasons we only won one seat in the elections. At present, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is in power with 3 seats. As you have seen the violence created by Shakti Singh and his supporters in Zakir Husain Delhi College and violence on Kawalpreet Kaur in Kirori Mal College was caused by ABVP. So, I feel that ABVP indulges in violence on campus.

Question: What was the moment that you recall as being particularly unique in course of your entire campaign?
Aakash: I went to campaign in 52 colleges of DU and felt so blessed that everyone gave me such a warm welcome. This is because of 4 years of hard work which I have done. I went to SAC 5 days before I got my election ticket. That moment was very overwhelming, all the students came out from their classes and cheered for me. In fact the day I got my ticket, I once again visited SAC, however I reached a little late. Most of the students had left, but still the
others gave me a very warm welcome. It’s said that the colleges in Kalkaji campus are dominated by ABVP, but
since I have studied from that campus, I proved it wrong which was evident in the election results where I won by a margin of 6700 votes.
Question: In DUSU, there is a famous saying, ‘Kabhi jaat, kabhi gujjar’. Why have DUSU elections become so caste
dominant?
Aakash: This is primarily because maximum votes in DU are from both these communities. If you look at South Campus, maximum votes are from the jaat community whereas in Kalkaji Campus, gujjars dominate the voting scenario. Family support is another factor in politics which leads to the dominance of both these communities.
Question: Since you are from NSUI, student wing of Congress and Lok Sabha elections are going to be held next year. So do you think there will be a desire for Congress to return?
Aakash: I firmly believe that Congress is going to return in the next elections even if it’s in coalition with some
other parties. If you check the election results of Jaipur National University and many other universities, NSUI has
won with flying colours. Some people may feel that ABVP has bagged three out of four seats in DU and NSUI has fallen weak. But everyone knows the case of EVM tampering that took place on the result day. Along with this,
ABVP DUSU President Ankiv Baisoya is also under the scanner due to his fake degree.
Question: DUSU has always been a stepping stone for making entry into Indian politics. Arun Jaitley and Ajay
Maken are well known examples, so are your future plans also in line with this?
Aakash: Yes, I am currently pursuing law and will practice it for some time. My main focus will be in politics only. I
belong to Rajasthan and the area is still not developed. The mentality of many people in Rajasthan is still limited to sip a cup of tea and read the newspaper in the morning. I would like to work for my native place and develop the area.

Question: As the DUSU Secretary, what role do you think the Union plays and what stand should the Union take
on national issues?
Aakash: I think the reserved category students in DU don’t get equal opportunity. They need help financially. The funds of the reserved category students have been reduced to INR 1800 crores by the University which are still on hold. The central government is trying to bring autonomy and privatise education. The main job of the Union at present should be passing of funds for the students. Placements of the students should also be taken care of.
Question: You have been the President of the Students Union in your college. How has that helped you emerge as a
student leader?
Aakash: After becoming the President of SAC, I understood what I wanted to do. SAC has always been famous for
hooliganism and entry of outsiders. I remember an incident where J-star came to our college fest, someone slapped him, and apart from him 100 people were on stage creating ruckus. I didn’t like this at all. So when I became the President, the first and foremost thing I did was meeting and submitting an application to the SHO and DCP of Malviya Nagar. I told them that students in the fresher’s party should only be allowed with proper ID-Cards. I created a bit of pressure on them because of earlier instances that took place in the college. Also, during my tenure, I introduced two societies-Debating Society, and Arts and Crafts Society. I set a trend of a combined farewell of all the departments in the college like it takes place in North Campus. Now the canteen of SAC also has 5 functioning ACs. In short, the college has seen a transformation.

Question: We all are well-aware of the case of EVM tampering during the election results. What is the latest update on the same?

Aakash: The High Court has asked the University to secure the EVMs till 29th October 2018. I am hoping that the hearing reveals the true verdict. Aakash concluded the interview with a smile and said, “Baaki dekhenge aage!” (“Let’s see what happens next!”) The NSUI has also alleged that the DUSU elections 2018 were not
conducted in a free and fair manner. Many national political leaders like Ajay Maken have also spoken against
this issue, and pointed out that the University of Delhi should release some sort of clarification on the
problems of vote counting.

 

Feature Image Credits: Mahi Sanjay Panchal for DU Beat

Anoushka Sharma
anoushkas@gmail.com

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NSUI National Secretary Accused of Submitting Fake Admission Documents

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DUSU Elections this year have been more like a saucy Bollywood film, full of twists, turns and a more than adequate amount of ‘masala’. The controversy surrounding  Ankiv Baisoya’s fake degree had barely been forgotten, when a new accusation was made by a PTI report regarding NSUI National Secretary, Akshay Kumar, allegedly submitting fake documents to fetch admission into the university’s PhD programme, in the Department of Buddhist Studies.
It is said that the matter was brought to light this January when the Department decided to carry out a verification of documents of all the students who secured admissions into the PhD course. According to an official who requested his identity to remain concealed, Kumar allegedly filed fake mark-sheets for the Post Graduate programme in order to secure a position in the PhD course. Apparently, the candidate, while securing admission in March 2017, submitted mark-sheets issued by Manav Bharti University in Solan district, Himachal Pradesh. Subsequent to verification from the University, it was revealed that the mark-sheets are counterfeit and the University denies issuing them. An FIR has been filed against the candidate at the Maurice Nagar Police Station on March 16, 2018. According to the official, decisions of such nature are not taken in haste, since they have the
potential to damage the career as well as the image of the candidate. Hence, a thorough procedure has to be compiled, which has been taken care of. The case shall now be forwarded to the Departmental Research Committee, from where it shall be forwarded to the Board of Research Studies.
The NSUI, on the other hand, though accepts that the FIR had been filed, states that the University failed to prove its allegations against their candidate. They feel that fuel is being added to the fire of this incident because the NSUI brought to light the fact that the documentation submitted by the new-betrothed DUSU President, Ankiv Baisoya are counterfeit. Ankiv’s power is not being disembowelled because the Varsity knows that if they do that any time before two months have elapsed, they will have to make the runner-up candidate the President, or carry out re-elections. On the contrary, if they do that after this stipulated period, the Vice-President, Shakti Singh shall be crowned the President, thereby retaining the position with the party.
In all of this, the student fraternity remains moot as such incidents expose them to surreal dilemmas. There’s a sense of suspicion amongst the voters since they cannot digest the frailty of the candidates. This has posed serious trust issues amongst them and as a result of this, even the otherwise “pure” candidates shall bear the brunt.

Feature Image credits: Hindustan Times

Aashish Jain
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NSUI Alleges Ankiv Baisoya Submitted Fake Documents for University Admission

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The newly-elected DUSU President, Ankiv Baisoya of ABVP has been accused of furnishing a fake certificate from Thiruvalluvar University for securing admission in MA in Buddhist Studies in Delhi University.

Ankiv ABVP
Ankiv Baisoya, DUSU President 2018-19. Image Credits – Jagran Josh

 

On Tuesday, 18th September 2018, National Students Union of India(NSUI) questioned the admission of the newly elected Delhi University Student’s Union (DUSU) President, Ankiv Bisoya of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). It was alleged that Ankiv submitted fake documents to get admission in the University of Delhi.

Certificate
Letter released by Thiruvalluvar University. Image Credits – NSUI

NSUI released a letter from the Controller of Examinations of Thiruvalluvar University, Vellore. The letter stated that Ankiv’s BA certificate is fake and not genuine. According to NSUI, they received the letter from internal sources. The NSUI said that Baisoya had presented a mark sheet for admission to the MA (Buddhist Studies) course, but Thiruvalluvar University clearly refused they had enrolled a student of such name, and a mark sheet of that serial number was not in their records.

On contacting NSUI regarding the same, Saimon Farooqui, National Secretary of NSUI said, “We got hold of this document through internal sources. The State President of Tamil Nadu NSUI helped us to procure the document. It’s not surprising to see ABVP get into such dirty politics, the same is the case with their parent party (Bhartiya Janta Party-BJP). We will be seeking legal advice and also plan to meet the Delhi University officials regarding the same.” Lairab Neyazi, National Media Co-coordinator of NSUI added that this is a huge matter of concern. He said, “How can he become the DUSU President when the certificates are not authentic? We will file a complaint on this.”

Marksheet
Marksheet released by Thiruvalluvar University. Image credits – NSUI

However, ABVP refutes any such allegation. They term this as propaganda of NSUI. DU Beat contacted Monika Chaudhary, National Media Convener of ABVP. She said, “ NSUI is not able to digest the fact that they have lost the DUSU elections, they are spreading propaganda’s every other day like the Electronic Voting Machine issue and now questioning Ankiv’s degree. Delhi University gave admission to Ankiv Baisoya after due verification of its documents. It’s the process of DU. Even today DU has all the right to verify documents of any student enrolled in university. But it’s not the job of NSUI to provide certificates to any person. DU has all the right to verify documents of not only Ankiv but all DUSU office bearers to stop rumors in future.”

Speaking to DU Beat, Baisoya said, “The allegations are all false. NSUI is finding new ways since they could not achieve success with the EVMs. Also, the letter is dated 7th September 2018 and elections took place on 12th September 2018. Why did NSUI take so much time to disclose the document? I have reservations on the language used in the document. This letter released by them is fake and I would just like to tell everyone that I am the DUSU President.”

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NSUI tried to further legitimise their claim by sharing a photo of the envelope, with the University stamp clearly visible. Image Credits – NSUI

On questioning NSUI as to why the document was released 11 days after procurement from Thiruvalluvar University, they said that they received the letter by post and therefore it took time to disclose the fake degree. They also provided DU Beat with a photograph of the envelope that apparently contained the letter, which has a prominent stamp from the University. 

 

Update:

Earlier the Controller of Thiruvalluvar University clarified promptly on the fake degree of Ankiv Baisoya, followed by the cross-checking by reputed media houses. Saimon Farooqui, National Secretary of the NSUI, commented on the matter saying, “Today, the Registrar of Thiruvalluvar University has again clarified to the deaf and dumb DU Administration about the fake degree of Ankiv Baisoya. Despite of this, the DU Administration is acting in a biased manner on purpose by removing Admission officer and delaying the process by different means to slow down the course of action, hence favouring ABVP.

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Image Credits – NSUI

 

The NSUI came out with the following demands;
1. The Declaration of  Sunny Chhillar as the DUSU President with immediate effect.

2. The Arrest of Ankiv Baisoya for deceiving the students of DU and DU administration by means of misrepresentation and fraud.

DU Beat is attempting to contact ABVP representatives for their comment on the matter, Updates will be posted promptly.

Feature Image Credits: Jagran Josh

Anoushka Sharma

anoushkas@dubeat.com

 

 

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Plea Challenging DUSU Election Results Moves to High Court

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Three candidates from NSUI filed a plea in the Delhi High Court on how privately procured EVMs were used in the DUSU elections held on 12th September 2018.

On 17th September 2018, three candidates of National Students’ Union of India had moved the High Court challenging the elections on the grounds that voting machines were allegedly tampered with. The candidates were Sunny Chillar, Leena, and Saurabh Yadav who contested for the post of President, Vice President and Joint Secretary respectively in the Delhi University Students Union(DUSU) Elections 2018. The candidates questioned how privately procured Electronic Voting Machines(EVM) were used in the DUSU elections and how data from seven EVMs had allegedly gone missing.

NSUI Protest Sunday
Plea Moved in High Court Challenging Results of DUSU Elections

The counting of votes was stopped on 13th September 2018 for an hour when there were allegations of faulty EVMs. However, following the protests on the same day the counting was suspended. But it resumed in the evening after an elaborate discussion and agreement by the candidates.  A statement was issued by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Delhi. It said that the EVMs used in the DUSU elections were not issued to University of Delhi by them. The State Election Commission also clarified that they did not allot any EVMs to the University. It was said that the University had privately procured the EVMs.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal questioned the Election Commission over the privately sourced EVMs used in the DUSU elections. Taking it to the micro-blogging site Twitter, he tweeted, “From where can you procure EVMs privately? Doesn’t ECI claim that no one can manufacture or buy or sell EVMs privately? Isn’t anyone found in possession of EVMs without EC’s permission guilty of the criminal offence?” NSUI also staged a protest regarding the same on 15th September 2018 in the Arts Faculty, University of Delhi.

Letter (1)
Letter issued by the office of Chief Election Officer, Delhi. Source – Twitter

Responding to this, the High Court judge Justice Siddharth Mridul has directed the University of Delhi to keep secure the EVMs used in the DUSU elections along with paper trial and other documentation.

DU Beat contacted Sunny Chillar, NSUI candidate who stood for the post of President in DUSU elections. He said, “The High Court agreed to what we said and has given a stay on the same. Whatever happened on the day of vote counting was wrong and should not have happened. The choice of the students was different- It was Sunny Chillar from the beginning. We stand against the wrong and the fraud that took place. We will stand for the students and their rights irrespective of the fact that we win or lose in the elections.”

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Anoushka Sharma

anoushkas@dubeat.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Elections Result in Clash Between NSUI and the Administration at Lakshmibai College

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Student union elections in the University can be an utterly tricky business. They’re characterised by a volatile aura, where, in a fraction of a second, you might stumble upon an unruly mob at a place that’s otherwise calm and quiet.
In a recent showcase of events staged at Lakshmibai College, things took an unprecedented turn. Earlier this week, news spread like wild-fire that Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) supporters had manhandled National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) supporters, and that had a detrimental effect on the college’s discipline and sanctity.

According to Saimon Farooqi, National Media Secretary, NSUI, “The nomination was supposed to be carried out on a certain day, and the next day was restricted only for their withdrawal and not for accepting any further nominations. However, we found out that the Principal was using her power to accept the nomination for a particular candidate belonging to ABVP on the next day, and hence we called for an agitation against this malefaction. As we did so, ABVP activists charged against us which exposed us to physical penuries. Our National General Secretary, Ms. Karishma, was attacked by a blade in the ruckus.”

The case had not even cooled down yet, when another staggering chain of events came into the lime-light. A recent production at Lakshmibai College led to a clash of ideas between the college management and the political front. In what can be termed as an attempt to maintain decorum inside the college premises, the college principal, Dr. Pratyush Vatsala, allegedly, did away with the practice of declaring the college student union results on the same day as the polling, and dictated that they shall be announced on some other day, for which she hasn’t given the tentative date yet.

When DU Beat contacted the Principal for her take on the matter, she said, “I don’t care what NSUI thinks. I’m not answerable to them. I’m doing the duty that has been assigned to me. The decision to declare the results on a different date has been taken, keeping in mind various other aspects and proceedings that are going on in the background. The results shall be declared as soon as the proceedings are over. I can’t give any tentative dates for this to happen.”

The NSUI, on the other hand, has very different opinion on the matter. The union alleges that there is something fishy in the tabulation process, since the votes are being counted without the absence of any University appointed polling representatives as well as the candidates. There is felt the absence of a legit polling booth. According to the union, this is a dent on the transparency of the student body elections, and hence hampers the spirit of a free-willed student democracy.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Aashish Jain

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Tete-a-tete with NSUI’s Presidential Candidate Sunny Chillar

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On Monday, 10th September 2018, DU Beat conducted an interview with the Presidential candidate of the National Students’ Union of India in context to the Delhi University Student Union Elections to be held on the 12th of September 2018.
Here are some excerpts from the interview.
Question: What is your plan for establishing accountability in the Delhi University Students’ Union?
Sunny: I will do my best to get the tag of ‘Institute of Eminence’ to DU so that we become entitled to get INR 1000 crores from which each college will be entitled to get INR 8 crores, and each student will, in turn,
be entitled to INR 75,000. The second thing on the agenda is a subsidised ‘chattra canteen’, a ten-rupee thali. The third thing on the agenda is to bring back the 62,600 laptops that were issued during the four-year programmes. These laptops should be re-issued to the students. Even if we don’t win the elections, we will continue to work
on these issues.
Question: How do you plan to provide a thali for a mere price of INR 10 to the students?
Sunny: Taking example from Amma Canteen of Tamil Nadu, NSUI has decided to provide the students with a INR 10 thali. The Amma Canteen offers more variety in terms of food than we are planning to. The subsidy will come from the INR 1000 crore budget which we hope to get after getting the tag of Institute of Eminence. A thali at such a low price is required because students from different backgrounds study in DU and it is important to provide them with equal opportunities.

Question: What is your take on the issue of the privatisation of higher educational institutions, especially the University of Delhi?
Sunny: The fee structure in DU is not transparent. I am a student pursuing B.A. (Hons.) Sanskrit from Shivaji College. The fee structure of any two colleges of the University is not similar, there is always some disparity.
For example, the fee structure of Shivaji College and Dyal Singh College for the same course is different. These are some indicators that show that the University is moving towards privatisation but we are making efforts to bring transparency in the fee structure.
Question: How inclusive is your party politics in terms of minority representation?
Sunny: We have ensured representation from the Scheduled Caste category in our panel. Leena is contesting from this category for the post of Vice President. In the coming years, we will be focusing on the representation of the minorities from regions like the Northeastern region of the country. We do not wish to make DUSU all about ‘jaat-gujjar’ elections. We wish to create an environment where each and every community is equally represented and enjoy equal rights.
Question: Which trick enabled you to campaign within a mere budget of INR 5000, the maximum that a candidate is allowed to spend on campaigning as per the Lyngdoh Committee?
Sunny: We are getting help from our family, friends, and relatives. The cars which you see on the road are of our friends, supporters, and family. No extra money is spent on all this. It’s within the budget.
Question: Littering in the campus has become a trend in DUSU elections. Manifestos of political parties and pamphlets are seen everywhere, on the roads, in the college campus and also on the walls.
What would you like to say on this issue?

Sunny: The paper used in printing the pamphlets is recyclable paper. We are controlling the wastage of paper. We are not pasting any posters, hoardings because six democracy goals have been assigned by DU and based on them, we are pasting our posters. It’s just the beginning. By next year, we hope to control all the waste created during the elections.
Question: Since the last three years, the None Of The Above (NOTA) option has gained attraction among DU voters. Why do you think this is happening?
Sunny: The main problem is the fight between the Left and the Right. They are not fighting for the issues of the students. Student issues should be taken care of, but when this doesn’t happen, students prefer the NOTA option.
Question: The tiff between Mahamedhaa Nagar and Kunal Sehrawat on the installation of sanitary pad vending machines was in news recently. What is your take on this?
Sunny: The DUSU office works on the collective decision-making process of the four office bearers. Even if a single person denies or objects to a certain decision, everything is re-worked again. It’s like the Parliament where everyone gets an equal say. The initiative of installing machines was mentioned in our manifesto last year. Mahamedhaa took a certain advantage of this. Though she worked hard for the installation, the credit cannot only be showered on her. Kunal Sehrawat has played a very important role in bringing this change. We fulfilled our promises we had made to the students.

Question: Miranda House saw buses outside the college gate today. On enquiring, we got to know that they have been arranged by NSUI for a movie screening. So don’t you think this is unethical when it comes to campaigning?
Sunny: No, I don’t think it’s unethical. Even as kids, we used to go on school picnics. We are not doing it for votes. This is just like a picnic for the students so that they can get a day off from their busy and hectic schedule. Not only this, we have noticed that the students are also interested in going out to have fun.
Question: What are the achievements of the NSUI led DUSU in the year 2017-18?
Sunny: We completed most of the promises we made to the students like installation of sanitary pad vending machines, and access to the library 24*7. We also put a stop to the metro fare hike till 2020. We also
fought for concessional metro passes for students studying in DU. So, yes, it was a fruitful year.
Question: Which element differentiates you from the other contenders for the post of President?
Sunny: I am not comparing myself with others. I am just focusing on trying to improve myself every day. I am not sure whether I will become the President or not, but one thing I am sure of is that I will work for student welfare and improve myself.

Feature Image Credits: The National Students’ Union of India

Anoushka Sharma
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NSUI Alleges that ABVP Copied their Manifesto ahead of DUSU Elections

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ABVP, in its defense, claims that NSUI has done no work in the past year, and is therefore looking for ways to demean the party.

With Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections just a couple of days away, major party National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) alleged that rival Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) stole their election manifesto.

NSUI’s manifesto had the proposition of subsidized food for DU students, which promised a complete meal thali at the meagre amount of Rs. 10. The same was allegedly seen on ABVP’s manifesto.

Saimon Farooqi, National Media Secretary of NSUI, said that their national handle has some posters and their corresponding dates are given. He added that on checking ABVP’s posters, the same designs and points can be seen, but with a later date.

What is also a shared point between the two parties is ‘the Institute of Eminence’, wherein, if a university is chosen, added funds of Rs. 1000 crore are allocated to them. Had DU been given these funds, the current budget of Rs 1100 crore would almost be doubled and would amount to Rs. 75,000 extra spent per student. This would ensure better facilities for them. Both the manifestos claimed to make DU the next Institute of Eminence. NSUI also says that there have been reports of the Prime Minister’s Office’s (PMO’s) involvement in the decision.

According to NSUI, ABVP’s manifesto has given themselves credit for writing off GST on sanitary pads, but a change petition was run by Sushmita Dev, National President of Mahila Congress on which she got half a million signatures. The petition was handed over to Arun Jaitley, the Minister of Finance and was thereby written off.

“ABVP is following Copy-cat politics. They are copying NSUI, whether it is about the points in our manifesto or the design of our poster”, told Farooqi to a DU Beat correspondent.

Jyoti Chaudhary, Joint Secretary ABVP, said that the work for writing off GST on sanitary napkins was done by Mahameda Nagar. When asked about the thaali, she said that it was never included in ABVP manifesto because it is not possible to provide food on such low rates. ‘Only the manifesto of those who have actually done work is stolen,’ Chaudhary said. ‘What will we do with the manifesto of those who have done nothing in the past year?’

Besides these, the shared points include fee reduction, provision of hostels for all colleges in vacant lands around the campuses, Delhi metro and DTDC student passes, study room facilities, etc.  However, it can also be argued, that issues like these are universal to the students of the Delhi University and not limited to one party.

Feature Image Credits – DU Beat
Maumil Mehraj

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NSUI Members Allege ABVP for Violence in Campus at Lakshmibai College

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The DUSU elections are underway. The influence of student parties is not only a matter of contention at the university level, but at the college level as well.

During the elections in Lakshmibai College for Women, the student wing of the college affiliated to the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) alleged the involvement of members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in violence that erupted in the college post the declaration of the election results.

“NSUI won unopposed on the post of President, Vice President, and Secretary.” said Sarah Iqbal, National Media Coordinator of NSUI and final year student of Lakshmibai College.

According to sources, the opposition student parties like Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Chatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) etc, at Lakshmibai College could not file their nominations to content in the internal students’ union elections due to discrepancies in their nomination form, or being late in the filing of the nomination.

Members of CYSS claimed that this was their first time contesting in the internal college elections, which resulted in a misunderstanding of the deadline to file the nomination forms. While students belonging to the ABVP had issues with the specifications in theirs. Hence, the posts of President, Vice President, and Secretary were declared as unopposed winners, crediting their political affiliation to NSUI.

The other posts, namely, Cultural Secretary, and Central Counselor (CC) had multiple candidates in contestation from the ABVP and NSUI.

After the declaration of the final list of candidates for the Lakshmibai College Students’ Union elections, violence erupted in the campus. Onlookers claimed men allegedly claiming to be ABVP supporters tried to enter the college forcefully and misbehaved with the lady constables deployed at the college gates.

Karishma Thakur, an alumna of Lakshmibai College and National General Secretary of NSUI claims to have gotten injured in the violence allegedly instigated by ABVP outside the college campus. Himani Tokas, who emerged as the uncontested President of the Lakshmibai College students’ union also claimed to have been verbally abused outside the administrative offices block of the college by the opposition party members. NSUI members have filed an FIR against all those involved in violence, and have requested the Delhi Police for extra security outside the college, sighting the violence committed against innocent guards and constables posted outside the college.

DU Beat tried to contact officials from ABVP; however, they were not available for comment.

Bhavya Banerjee

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 AISA-CYSS and NSUI Present Their Election Manifesto in Miranda House

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In a session today, AISA-CYSS and NSUI presented their election manifestoes in Miranda House. The Miranda House Student’s Union elections were also held.

Half an hour after noon today, the Miranda House auditorium was abuzz with students who had come to hear the candidates for various student’s unions making their election speeches. After the Miranda House Student’s Union elections (MHSU) candidates made their election speeches, representatives from AISA-CYSS and NSUI came forward for their campaigns.

Abhigyan, the AISA-CYSS Presidential candidate said in his campaign speech, “There is a narrative which has happened that university-level politics is very self-centred and is used as a stepping stone for advancing a person’s career, we are trying to change this narrative. Why shouldn’t there be a narrative where we can talk about politics? We are trying to build a Union which is not going to dictate the students.” Abhigyan raised several issues like financial autonomy, the use of muscle power and the masculinity that has crept up in politics. He also talked about how AISA had helped in building a girls’ hostel in Hindu College, fought for metro bus passes as well as campaigned against financial autonomy.

Abhigyan was then questioned extensively by the students who asked him on AISA’s stand on gender discrimination committees, why AISA was fielding a male Presidential candidate and so on.

After that, NSUI’s student candidate for the Vice-Presidential post, Leena tried to present her manifesto. However, some of the students of Miranda House opposed her before she could say anything, demanding that she leave the podium and that she was not “fit to be contesting elections.” Amid massive booing, Leena talked about the NSUI’s stance for women empowerment, to make University of Delhi (DU) an Institute of Eminence which would bring in public funds, to launch a thali for students worth 10 rupees, etc. Leena, who is a graduate of Miranda House, claimed that she used to “stand outside the gate of Miranda House regularly and campaign.” However, many students shouted that they hadn’t seen her outside the gate. She was also called out on her claim of not distributing any pamphlets in her name, what she would do on her part to change the politics of the University, and the fact that her name was changed from Leena to “A.A. Leena” in an alleged claim for getting the first ballot. Although Ms Leena tried to defend her position and that of her student union, the students booed her off the stage.

Ambica, a Miranda House student said, “The girl from NSUI didn’t have answers for anything. She just repeated a few things that she had been told to say. But it wasn’t surprising because once your party member has been accused of molestation and rape, there isn’t much that you could say.”

Muskan Dhar, the Vice-president of Women’s Development Cell of Miranda House, when asked if the booing was fair, said, “We heard Abhigyan and he was pretty correct in saying that the ICCs are not functional. As an ICC candidate, I know the kind of resistance we face in having meetings. The candidate from NSUI, however, did not have any proper manifesto. How Miranda reacted to it was two-fold. Some of it was justified since we know of the increasing violence around the campus, but I think we could have channelised our concerns in a better way.”

No official candidate of ABVP showed up and no official reasons were submitted for. Later in a notice released by the Staff Advisors of Miranda House, it was informed that the ABVP candidates would address the students of Miranda House tomorrow at from 12:45 to 1 p.m.

Feature Image Credits: Mahi for DU Beat

Sara Sohail

saras@dubeat.com

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Campus Central

Autobiography of an Election Flyer

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This is a real account of an election campaign flyer, its journey and observations

Fresh off the print, I and other flyers were stacked up in the morning. A few hours later, some of my brothers were stuck on the campus walls while others like me were kept to be distributed to the inhabitants of this world called the University of Delhi. We all have the same cliched font style. One might say we lack individuality. The only thing that is different is a label, I belong to the family of NSUI while my fellow flyers are put under the labels of ABVP and AISA. AISA guys are the poorer folks of the lot, their paper quality is cheap. ABVP and I are similar in social standing and almost the same in numbers.

So, as the sun got warmer in the day, some of the bearded political leaders/goons (they are looked at differently by different factions) went around and handed me over to a reluctant first-year student in a random North Campus college. My handler said “Vote for NSUI” in an intimidating voice and the fresher had no option but to accept me. The next instant, the procession of the Aviator glasses and marigold garland wearing youth politicians walked away; the fresher just threw me on the ground and resumed his business. He has joined this college to study and socialise. All this political business is no business for him.

As I lay on the ground, I saw a fellow ABVP brother flyer and an AISA sister. The latter called me a gunda and I replied using the best comeback in Hindi language ‘Jo bolta hai wo hi hota hai’. Then we all engaged in an intense shouting match, complete with threats and blame games. The ABVP flyer lost his cool to such an extent that he said if he had hands, he would have even slapped the AISA flyer. It ended up in awkward silence and I flew away to the canteen.

In the canteen, a kind old uncle took me and folded me like a fifth grader’s origami project. I got stained by oil as he wrapped me around a couple of samosas. I got a glimpse of this canteen world and it looked like a safe haven. This is the umbrella under which all groups take shelter, whether it be the pseudo-intellectuals, the goons, the nerds. or the good for nothing vellas. The girl who took me ate the samosas and threw me on the canteen floor even though a big dustbin was right in front of her. How much effort does it take to put me in the dustbin? Well anyway, that means more freedom for me.

So, I flew and I flew until I came on a sidewalk near the college gate. The passers-by were all staring at the motorcade of Scorpios adorned with NSUI and ABVP stickers. The party members and campaigners were perched on the hood of the moving cars. It all seemed like an updated version of the ‘Kiki challenge’. Then in a fit of excitement, they clenched several party flyers and cards in their fists and let them all loose on the crowded road. When the big muscled men and the big muscled cars departed from the road, the gravelled tar path was littered, or in a sense adorned, with hundreds of election flyers strew here and there. So much for Swach Bharat!

I was asleep for a few minutes so I did not realise when I ended up in this e-rickshaw. Some students in the vehicle are talking amongst themselves about a certain judgement day on 12th September. I am eager to know what will happen on this day. I hope that I am not stepped over or torn into shreds by then.

Feature Image Credits: Daily Mail

Shaurya Singh Thapa

shauryasinghthapa@gmail.com

 

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