DUSU polls: Despite warnings, no end to paper-based campaigning

NEW DELHI: Elections for the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) have always been an event of much fanfare. Though use of printed material for campaigning is prohibited, as per Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, flyers and posters continue to flood the campus.

Moreover, despite strict notifications from the National Green Tribunal and the High Court, candidates and parties resort to such means to reach out to voters.

However, many student political outfits have now started developing political party-style 'war rooms' to handle the campaign, which effectively use social media to promote the candidates.

What's interesting, though, is the use of unconventional methods to promote candidates. The latest addition to these methods is pasting parodies of movie posters to promote the DUSU candidate as 'larger-than-life' heroes.

One such poster can be seen at Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station, but was removed soon after it came to the notice of authorities.

The movie 'Rocky Handsome' might have failed at the box office. But its poster inspired some people to paste a poster featuring the face of Rocky Tusser, a National Students' Union of India candidate for the post of DUSU president.

However, NSUI denied any involvement in putting up such a poster and blamed rival parties for the poster so as to get Tusser's nomination cancelled.

A student activist said, "Putting up posters of actors, whose names are similar to that of candidates is not uncommon in the varsity. Earlier, a Priyanka Chopra poster was putted up in 2016 for ABVP candidate Priyanka Chawri, which read 'All the best, Priyanka, 4 Emmys'. Four also happened to Chawri's ballot number."

Similarly, last year, actor Arjun Kapoor's poster had been, ostensibly to promote NSUI's Arjun Chaprana.