The Delhi University Students Union Election (DUSU), according to the University’s website, is the representative body of the students from most colleges and faculties. The elections to DUSU are by direct voting by the students of the university and member colleges and are usually held in August-September each year.
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Candidates from youth wings of different national political parties contest for the posts of President, Vice-President, General Secretary, and Joint Secretary. The first Delhi University Election can be traced back to as early as 1954.
In all these years, DUSU has produced some of the best politicians in the country, like Arun Jaitley (1974-75), Vijay Goel (1977-78), Ajay Maken (1985-86), and Alka Lamba (1997-98).
First, DUSU is supposed to be the bridge between the University administration and the students. Second, each one of us pays a certain amount (deducted from college fees) every year to the DUSU fund, which collectively adds up to 25 lakhs.
Third, the Delhi University Election is expected to work for the interests and development of university students. This includes organizing seminars with famous personalities as speakers, awareness marathons, cultural events, and competitions, and improving basic infrastructure.
Delhi University Students Union Election
Almost all the colleges in DU have a separate body for college-related activities, which includes the Fresher’s Party, College Fest, and Farewell Party, along with day-to-day activities of sports, ECA societies, etc.
These student bodies take different shapes in different colleges. For instance, Hindu College has a parliamentary system of student government while Hansraj has a six-member student union. Some colleges go a step further and conduct democratic elections by holding presidential/prime-ministerial debates. College elections aren’t completely free from external influences of parties and individuals, which sometimes result in a puppet union in some colleges where the strings are pulled by external forces.
Incomplete Representation Of Colleges in DUSU
St Stephens, DRC, KNC, LSR, JMC, IP College for Women, and many other colleges in DU do not participate in the DU Elections. Most of these are all-women colleges that say the political campaigns are toxic, so they don’t take part in the elections. This is the reason DUSU has an existing disparity in terms of representation of different colleges and has, over the years, led people to question the relevance of DUSU.
Impact of Money and Muscle Power in DUSU Elections
You’d have seen by now that DUSU elections are all about money and muscle. Scores of white SUVs making the campus roads claustrophobic, reckless spending on bigger-than-life banners, and groups of omnipresent muscular men in white shirts and marigold garlands have become the face of the elections, and debates and issues have been pushed to the corner.
The Lyngdoh committee recommendations of 2006, which aim at reducing the influence of money and muscle power in student union elections, are either non-existent or flouted every day. Candidates very smartly insert an extra ‘A’ or ‘I’ in their names while putting up the banners to evade legal action.
The High Court ruling of last year, which banned sticking posters on university walls, has been successful in preventing the defacing of the campus buildings this year; however, roads can still be seen covered in sheets of white.
Significance of the Upcoming DUSU Elections
In times when the relevance of student politics is in question when the Delhi University Election has been reduced to merely a launchpad for scions of powerful families, when students from specific regional, caste, and class backgrounds only are getting a chance at contesting, and when rule-breaking and indiscipline have become the order of the day, the upcoming elections have assumed unprecedented significance. Every vote cast on the 12th of September has the potential of becoming a letter in the new definition of student politics. Politics is more accountable, inclusive, and accessible.
So next time they come to you for votes, don’t let them get away with free pizzas. Ask them questions. Questions that matter.
If you still can’t make sense of the loud sloganeering all around the campus for the Delhi University Election, classes getting disturbed every day by garlanded figures, and college premises suffocated in a sea of handouts, then this article has got you covered.
Apart from the free pizzas and trips to water parks offered by challenging candidates, we, as students, have much bigger and noteworthy stakes in DUSU elections.
In conclusion, the Delhi University Students Union Election is a big deal for the student body, a bridge between the admin and students. While we have incomplete representation and money and muscle power, this election is a chance to change that. By participating and asking questions, students can make the DU Students Union Election a more accountable, inclusive, and accessible platform that actually represents them and helps them grow.
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