Issues get marred as money decides the popularity index in DUSU elections

With the declaration of candidates, parties voice allegations at each other of pumping money to gain votes. While ABVP and CLJP put the blame on the ruling NSUI presidential candidate Vishal Chaudhary of running the campaign only on the basis of money and muscle, a few NSUI activists do support the same.

One of the Central Councillors of law faculty, on the terms of keeping the name secret, said that a good amount of NSUI workers are not happy with the selection of Vishal Chaudhary. He feels Vishal to be the worst presidential candidate ever nominated by NSUI. For him the only reason Vishal got the nomination is the amount of money he is spending on the campaign. He said, “leaders who work throughout the year and are popular among students, like Vikas Chikarra, are not given tickets, which may turn against the ruling NSUI in this election”.

While NSUI leaders refused to reveal the budget and the amount of money spent on the campaigning, they did admit that there have been much more money spent on campaigning than any other year. Gaziabad District Vice-President of NSUI, Badal Sharma (a former DU student, working as one of the campaign heads for NSUI) revealed that the fresher parties thrown to the new undergraduate students of the 51 colleges under DU are included in the expenses of the election campaign. He also discarded the allegation of the rival AVBP, that NSUI candidates have no grass-root reach as they all come in BMWs, whereas the AVBP candidate move around in scooters, by claiming it to be a ‘public-demand’ that “the leader should move in a big car and with 40 men and a convoy rather than being too simple”. AVBP spokesperson refused comment on expenditures by their party on campaigning though students find AVBP campaign a lackluster one in front of NSUI one.

While political parties try to poach the votes by rigorous campaigning, there is less or no sense of democracy among the students at the colleges. When approached, a few students from Hindu College and Kirori Mal College said they will vote NSUI as they have thrown some good fresher party and rain dance parties. Others who refused to reveal whom they are going to vote also accepted that there has been a huge expenditure by the NSUI over the campaigning especially arranging the parties.

While present UG students feel they will be voting, the PG students and the alumni feel reluctant towards the whole process of election. Gourashyam Hidam, PG student of Science faculty says that “the empirical data suggests that the DUSU elections haven’t done anything worthwhile”. He also said that the candidates of every party feel that winning this election is the stepping stone towards becoming the PM of India. And that’s the sole reason for such huge spending over the campaigning, not only by the parties but also on the personal level of the candidates.

While both parties stand at the same point on the issues of FYUP and lack of hostels, money power and show-offs seem to be the deciding factors in this year’s DUSU elections. With Delhi assembly elections on the horizon, both ABVP and NSUI have taken DUSU elections as a springboard for the bigger leap to power.