DUSU Elections: Fewer voters, rigging charges, bigger competition

Delhi University Students Union election’s first voting phase lasted till September 9 afternoon and polling trends have begun emerging. In a turn of events, significantly low number of students have come out to cast votes today. Chief Election Commissioner for Delhi University Elections, DS Rawat, gave a brief statement: “The voter turnout this year was diminished as only 35.38 per cent students casted vote in morning colleges poll.”

 This year voting attendance has seen a sharp drop of nearly five per cent. In 2015, over 42 per cent  student voters turn up for morning polls and in 2014, voter turn-up was nearly 43 per cent .

 This will further affect the vote-margin of various parties, making it more difficult than last year to maintain a surplus of vote-share.

As polling began at both North campus and South campus of Delhi University, more party volunteers were present on campus than voting students. Complaints of bogus voting and rigged voting machines started emerging during the first half of polling itself.

Nation Students Union of India (NSUI) National General Secretary Angellica Aribam said, “So far, the voter turnout has been disappointing. Turnout has been low in morning colleges such as Ramjas College and Faculty of Law, only 206 out of 2,000 students from Law Faculty came to vote today.”

On the issue of voting machine’s unreliability, Aribam added, “Our National President, Amrita Dhawan, met with the DUSU Election Commissioner to report the discrepancies found in EVM machines in various colleges.”

Although it is being claimed that students have not shown in as large numbers as they would have because college elections for a few colleges have been postponed, some claimed the university administration is responsible for this disenchantment of students.

All India Students Association (AISA) member Sunny Kumar said, “The polling has been low due to administrative failure on two counts. Firstly, the late admissions and readmissions has left the students completely disenfranchised and secondly, it has failed to control the hooliganism and violation of DUSU code of conduct.”

He echoed NSUI’s concern over bogus voting and said, “We heard complaints of EVM machines casting votes to different candidate than chosen by the voter. We also received information that administration in Hindu College and Miranda House allowed a lot of bogus voting.”

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) remained unreachable for comment.