Just when the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections campaigning was about to draw to a close on September 26, DU students were in for a shock, as the Delhi High Court halted counting the votes cast.
While hearing a petition by Prashant Manchanda, Supreme Court Advocate and Legal Advisor to the Delhi Legislative Assembly against the “defacement” of public property by candidates contesting the election, a Delhi High Court bench comprising of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela on September 26 directed that the counting of the votes, which was supposed to take place on September 28, be halted until all defecation is removed, and further instructions of the court.
In addition, the court ordered Delhi University to reimburse the civic authorities such as the Delhi Metro, government departments, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for the costs incurred in erasing the defacement.
It further stated that Delhi University would thereafter be entitled to recoup the money from the candidates in compliance with the guidelines of the Lyngdoh Committee.
“This court is of the opinion that elections, which are supposed to be a festival of democracy, have been converted into a festival of money laundering and defacement of public property. In some respects, it reflects the failure of the education system," the bench said.
It also questioned the flow of funds from political parties to student organisations at DU, wondering whether crores were spent in the election if not lakhs.
According to the guidelines, political organisations on campus are not allowed to spend more than Rs 5,000 per candidate as the campaign budget, or permitted to use printed posters, pamphlets, or any other printed material while canvassing.
“Against democratic expression of students”
Reacting to the order, the Sangh-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) said in a press conference that the high court did not call all the stakeholders to the court to present their views.
“The high court’s verdict to stay the counting after the students cast their votes is an attack on student democracy,” says Mitravinda Karanwal, ABVP’s candidate for the post of Secretary.
She slams the petition, alleging that the elections for the Supreme Court Bar Association see “worse defacement of public property”, and that Manchanda had no standing to petition against Delhi University and the election campaign.
“DUSU election is one of the largest student elections in the world. Thus, this is an extremely illogical verdict from the court, which is not only unfair to ABVP but also betrays every student’s freedom to participate in campus democracy,” she adds, hoping that the court reconsiders its decision.
In addition, both ABVP and the Indian National Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) launched a cleaning drive on campus while voting was underway, removing posters and banners from the campus walls and pillars.
Revision of Lyngdoh Committee guidelines
In addition, Mitravinda deems the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines need to be revised to meet the actual canvassing expenditure of the candidates.
“As DU is spread across Delhi, Rs 5,000 is barely enough to commute to the 91 colleges affiliated with it, let alone prepare promotional material and campaign. As a result, we think that the maximum budget allocation per candidate must be increased,” she explains.
However, some student leaders believe that in an election where crores of rupees are pumped in, discussions around increasing the funds allotted under the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines are meaningless.
“We can talk about increasing the campaign budgets if political organisations make an effort to stick to it — and not when they spend crores in their campaigns,” says Saavy Gupta, Presidential Candidate from the left-wing All India Students’ Association-Students’ Federation of India (AISA-SFI) alliance.
“HC order causes little impact”
According to Saavy, the Delhi High Court order has little potential to make significant improvements in how the DUSU elections are held, as it comes in after the campaigning period has concluded.
“The high court intervening in the elections this late would make no difference, as it does little to challenge the money-muscle power model of DUSU elections,” she says.
Issuing a stay in the counting of the votes after the campaigning and polling did not prevent the excess money flow and open flouting of the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines, and would make candidates think that they could get away with the latter if they simply “cleaned up after themselves”, she explains.
Over the years, DU has become infamous for its rather exorbitant student union elections, with ABVP and NSUI, the two dominant student groups on campus trying to outplay each other in terms of spending, grandeur, and displays of power.
Every year, videos of student leaders from these organisations, clad in white shirts and garlands, parading the campus in a cavalcade of expensive SUVs and leaving behind streets strewn with pamphlets make rounds on social media during the polling season.
With huge banners and poll promises that include free liquor the goal is to create the maximum amount of visibility, alleges Saavy.
According to a 2014 report by the Times of India, NSUI's entire poll budget in 2013 was alleged to be Rs 1.5 crore, while ABVP spent close to Rs 1 crore — with both organisations spending the most on posters.
“With this open flouting of the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines, organisations that spend the most on their canvassing are the most visible, and in turn get the most number of votes. This only removes focus from the real issues faced by students, and the deteriorating state of education at DU,” says Saavy.
However, Mitravinda refutes these allegations of “money-muscle politics” in the DUSU elections, claiming, “I come from a very ordinary background, and did not canvass in a rally of SUVs. I went to each college on foot, and my friends held up my banner and posters, all of which we made by hand.”
She adds that parties that allege that the outcome of the DUSU elections is determined by overt displays of money and muscle power undermine the wisdom and judgement of the students of DU.
EdexLive also reached out to the leaders of NSUI for their comments against these allegations, but they did not respond.
This year, twenty-one candidates are contesting in the DUSU elections; eight are running for president, five are running for vice-president, and four are running for secretary and joint secretary. Alarmingly, this year’s elections recorded a voter turnout rate of 35 per cent, which is the lowest in 13 years according to The New Indian Express.
EdexLive reached out to the administration of Delhi University for comments, but they were unavailable.
