With the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections slated for September 2025, the university administration has ramped up preparations to ensure a peaceful and clean campaign season.

In a high-level meeting held on Wednesday, August 6, DU officials announced that any vehicle entering the campus with tinted windows or without a number plate will be “immediately seized”, as per a report by The Indian Express.

The meeting, attended by the university’s chief election officer, Proctorial Board members, the Maurice Nagar Station House Officer, and DUSU representatives, focused on enforcing anti-defacement guidelines and restoring decorum during the polls.

Following the meeting, the university released a statement saying that the student representatives have assured that there shall be no defacement in the DUSU Elections.

Campaigning guidelines tightened

DUSU candidates are now restricted to using only handmade posters and are expected to adhere strictly to expenditure limits.

Student leaders have also proposed the creation of a “Wall of Democracy” in every college, a designated space for campaign materials. The university administration, according to the statement, has agreed to forward this suggestion to individual colleges for implementation.

Why these restrictions?

The crackdown comes after last year’s Delhi High Court criticism of the widespread defacement on campus, during the student union elections. The court’s reprimand had led to a month-long delay in the announcement of election results.

Campaign seasons at DU have often seen graffiti-lined walls, and posters on public property, all of which the administration now wants to curb.

Authorities are also targeting law and order issues, with a second round of meetings held virtually between the Proctorial Board, the chief election officer, and key stakeholders, including college principals, hostel wardens, department heads, and senior police officials.