Delhi University is all set to witness a triangular battle of ballot on Friday with the heavyweights of the traditional rivals: The Congress and the BJP going to have a faceoff with the students’ wing of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Delhi University Students’ Union Polls.
This is the first time AAP’s Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) is going to contest the DUSU elections flaunting the Government’s support in their campaigning while the BJP backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Congress student organisation National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) are holding firm to let their “decade long” work speak for them in the university.
“We have worked on the ground by putting hard work for decades. I do not think any new organisation with the help of Government machinery and money can lure the students of this university. The students know their candidates and organisation. They have seen who has slogged to get things done for their welfare. We have confidence that the students will vote thoughtfully,” Saket Bahuguna, State secretary of ABVP told The Pioneer.
The university campuses, including North and South, are going to have heavy police presence on its streets and around 50 polling stations across its colleges. There are 35 candidates including the individuals from main rival parties and independent contenders.
While talking to The Pioneer, Chief Election Officer of the university, DS Rawat said, “A number of 1,35,000 voters are expected to vote in the DUSU polls. Across the 50 polling stations, full security arrangement of police will be in function and extra police has been arranged in view of the events of violence on Wednesday.”
The voting would be held between 8:30 am in the morning till 12:30 noon and evening from 3 pm to 7 pm.
On the last day of polling, NSUI presidential candidate was allegedly attacked by the CYSS. As the drama unfolded, all the three parties including the ABVP blamed each other for inciting violence in which volunteers of both ABVP and NSUI were injured.
The competition to make it in the elections exceeded its limit as the parties arranged movie tickets for their supporters on Thursday even when campaigning had stopped. Sources said that CYSS and NSUI had taken students to adventure parks.
The counting of the votes would be carried on Saturday and the results would be out the same day. The ABVP is holding all the four seats of DUSU at present and this year all eyes are on the new party CYSS and NSUI has also followed a strategic campaign to grab some seats.
Meanwhile, 22 candidates will be testing their electoral fortunes in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) polls. “A total of 22 candidates are in fray for the Central Panel which includes president, vice president, general secretary and joint secretary. Another 83 candidates are also in the fray for the posts of councillors at all the centres of the university,” the CEC for JNU polls Praveen Thallapelli said.