In a major setback to the AAP and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, its student wing Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) has drawn a blank in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) polls. The debacle in DUSU polls is a wake-up call for Kejriwal to perform. The CYSS bite the dust despite direct involvement of Kejriwal, who was probably the first Chief Minister of Delhi directly pitching in for its candidates.
Due to Kejriwal’s direct involvement, the DUSU elections became a battle of prestige for him. He wanted to do a Assembly feat in DUSU polls — AAP won 67 of 70 seats in 2015 Assembly poll. He probably wants to win every election inside Delhi — be it the much politicised students’ union elections of the Delhi University or the municipal body elections. The defeat in DUSU polls is expected to have direct bearing on the upcoming bypolls of 13 municipal wards.
Traditionally, the DUSU elections have been dominated by the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS’) Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). But the entry of debutante CYSS transformed the DUSU poll into a triangular contest. Winning the DUSU elections was important for Kejriwal.
His Government has been embroiled in an ugly face-off with lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung and blamed the Narendra Modi-led Central Government for everything that has gone wrong. The AAP’s supposedly clean image also suffered a setback due to one after another controversies — including the fake degree row surrounding former State law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar, harassment charges against Somnath Bharti, and controversies involving Alka lamba, Manoj Kumar, Swati Maliwal besides the non-performance of the AAP Government.
Taking a cue from the recent dip in the party’s popularity, Kejriwal had thrown money and power behind the CYSS to ensure its victory in the DUSU polls. A win in DUSU elections for CYSS would have led to the pundits predicting Arvind Kejriwal’s continuing popularity among the youngsters. But the defeat is certainly detrimental to the Chief Minister’s image.
After CYSS debacle, political parties have now started claiming that Kejriwal has lost the trust among the youth. Although, what looks like a clear indication is that inexperience and weak organisation of CYSS led to its defeat in the DUSU polls, which it contested in the name of Kejriwal. Youngsters in DU prefer to vote on group sentiment. Besides, CYSS has avoided its panel in colleges which also led to its defeat.
Despite various factor, the ballot number of candidates in DUSU polls always also played a major role in deciding the fate the candidates as DUSU elections are quite different from the lok Sabha, State Assembly and municipal body elections as the ballot paper does neither mention the name of any party nor does it show their symbols. The ballot paper only has the name of the candidates and their serial numbers on it.
Meanwhile, the Congress-backed NSUI too failed to make a comeback in the DUSU polls and it blamed the AAP for dividing its vote. The AAP on the other hand issued a statement defending its defeat in the DUSU polls by stating that it was their “maiden attempt” and yet they secured an “honourable” vote percentage.
The victorious ABVP, in contrast to its other rival groups ran a low-profile campaign and confidently grabbed hold of all the seats which they had been ruling for the last one year.