DUSU polls conclude with low turnout; HC halts counting over defacement

New Delhi: On Friday, voting for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections took place across 52 colleges and faculties, with a relatively low voter turnout reported. As of 5:45 pm, out of approximately 1.40 lakh eligible voters, only 43,451 votes were cast, marking a turnout of 29.7 per cent. This marks a considerable drop from last year’s 42 per cent turnout and is notably lower than the 44.46 per cent turnout in 2018, which was the highest in over a decade. During Phase 1, different colleges reported voter turnout of as low as 15 per cent to as high as 84 per cent.

This year’s race saw an interesting development with the first-ever alliance between the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students’ Association (AISA). Despite their efforts, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which has held a strong grip on DUSU for the past decade, remained the dominant force. In last year’s elections, after a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the ABVP won three major posts, including president, while the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress party, managed to secure the position of vice president.

Counting halted

The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the university to halt the counting of votes until all instances of defacement of public property by election candidates were addressed. The court’s ruling came in response to a plea that highlighted widespread use of posters, hoardings, graffiti, and spray paint by student organisations across the university and surrounding areas, leading to damage of public and private property. A bench comprising Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela stated,“The election process may proceed, but no counting of votes shall take place until the court is satisfied that public property has been restored.” The bench further remarked that Delhi University had shown a “lack of will” in taking action against candidates who indulged in vandalism and defacement. It also questioned the enforcement of the Lyngdoh Committee’s recommendation, which caps election expenditure at Rs 5,000 per candidate. A bench member remarked, “How much is being spent on these elections? Is there any audit being done? This must be a few crores, not even in lakhs.”

Allegations of voting irregularities

The day of the elections was not without controversy, as NSUI National President Varun Choudhary alleged irregularities in the voting process. “Voting was deliberately delayed in several colleges, and the system was slowed down, raising doubts about the fairness of the election,” he said in a press statement. Choudhary accused the university administration of working under pressure from the ABVP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a claim denied by ABVP leaders.

The NSUI has demanded live streaming of the strong room where the EVMs are kept, citing concerns about the integrity of the counting process. Choudhary added, “Ensuring transparency at every step is crucial to maintain students’ trust in this election.”

The election will determine the new representatives for the positions of president, vice president, secretary, and joint secretary. Voting took place in two phases: morning college students voted until 1 pm, while evening college students cast their votes from 3 pm to 7:30 pm. The Delhi University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Yogesh Singh, along with other senior officials, inspected the strong room where the Electronic

Voting Machines (EVMs) have been stored, ensuring heightened security as the court’s order is followed.