Campaign posters and banners continue to blanket the walls of Delhi University campuses, despite a 24-hour request issued by the chief election officer the previous day, directing candidates to remove their printed materials. This was stated in a report by PTI.
A spot check of both North and South campuses exposed walls adorned with campaign materials and roads littered with pamphlets in shades of white, red, and blue.
Yesterday, Monday, September 23, the chief election officer for the 2024-25 DUSU (Delhi University Student Union) elections issued notices to all candidates, instructing them to clear posters and banners featuring their names and ballot numbers from university premises within 24 hours.
In addition, the notification highlighted that candidates are allowed to use the designated "Walls of Democracy" solely for handmade posters. However, the enforcement of these rules appears to be lacking on the ground.
The display of printed posters and banners contravenes norms established by the Lyngdoh Committee, which governs student elections.
"We are maintaining close surveillance on any violations of election rules. Notices were issued yesterday, and we are in the process of identifying violators. Appropriate action will be taken soon," said Chief Election Officer Satyapal Singh in a statement to PTI.
Defacement of property is also prohibited under the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 2007. Despite this, campaign materials continue to resurface, with a traffic constable noting that over 50 challans are issued daily.
"MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) workers remove the posters and banners, but by night, students put them up again," he noted.
Following this, the constable also highlighted that convoys of cars during campaign rallies cause significant traffic jams, complicating area management.
A DU student voiced concerns about the aggressive campaign tactics employed by student groups like the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) and NSUI (National Students Union of India), mentioning that party workers often invade libraries and classrooms to distribute pamphlets.
"There's a lot of paper wastage, which is concerning. They hand out chits asking us to vote for their candidates, but I believe they could easily communicate this orally instead of disrupting classes," the student remarked.
Conversely, an NSUI supporter claimed that candidates intentionally misspell their names on pamphlets and banners to evade detection by authorities.
Violations of election rules are not new to Delhi University elections.
In 2017, the National Green Tribunal ordered DU to rusticate students found defacing walls with posters and imposed fines. However, despite previous interventions, election-related defacement and paper waste remain prevalent each year.
