As canvassing came to an end on Wednesday night, it was a regular day for the candidates on Thursday — meeting friends, having chai (tea) in the campus canteens, calling up the freshers, reminding them to come to vote, visiting temples and resorting to social media and cartoons targeting rival student bodies.
Meanwhile, the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) held a press conference on Thursday, urging the Delhi University (DU) administration and the Delhi Police to ensure fair and transparent Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) polls, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
“We have observed that several RSS-BJP (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-Bharatiya Janata Party)-affiliated professors have attempted to influence the elections,” said NSUI National President Varun Choudhary while raising concerns about the appointment of ABVP and RSS members as electoral officers. However, he expressed confidence about the victory in the DUSU polls, asserting, “We are confident we will win this election 4-0.”
He emphasised that NSUI’s vision is centred on addressing key student issues, such as fee hikes, infrastructural deficiencies, and women’s safety.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), however, remained busy in a cleanliness campaign on the campus. The supporters were seen removing the party posters and banners from the walls and pillars. The candidates including Rishabh Choudhary, Mitravinda, Aman Kapasia and Bhanu Pratap made a special appeal to the DU students to vote 100% in the DUSU polls.
The ABVP also shared that their organisation name was trending on social media with a hashtag, #ABVPforDUSU, where the supporters shared different slogans and vote appeals with the ballot numbers of every candidate, stated The New Indian Express report.
Besides NSUI and ABVP, other student outfits contesting for DUSU were also busy approaching students through social media.
One of the organisations named Fraternity Movement had uploaded a rap song targeting money and muscle power in politics while the Disha Students Federation was sharing satirical cartoons on social media with a pun on ABVP and NSUI’s political tactics.
The polls will be held on Friday. The votes will be counted on September 28. Voting will take place for day-time classes between 8.30 am and 1 pm and for evening classes from 3.00 pm to 7.30pm.
