DU campuses lit up for DUSU polls amid heightened security

New Delhi, Sept 18 (PTI)  Delhi University campuses wore a festive look on Friday as candidates and their supporters made a final push to win over students. They distributed pamphlets and displayed placards, urging their peers to vote for their candidates in the ongoing Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections for four central panel positions and college representatives.

Voting for president, vice president, secretary and joint secretary is being held in two shifts amid heightened security across the university. Police have erected barricades outside colleges and are frisking students to avoid any untoward incident. The outcome of the closely watched polls for candidates from ABVP, NSUI, and the AISA-SFI alliance will be known on Saturday.

A university official said more than 2,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across the North and South campuses.

Affordable, safe accommodation emerged as a key demand among students, along with functioning college hostels, affordable food and transport, concessions on Delhi Metro fares, and a more accessible university administration.

For many students, accommodation remains a pressing concern as rents in Delhi continue to add to the cost of pursuing higher education.

“Accommodation is the first and foremost demand. Rents are very expensive. Some DU colleges have hostels, but they either don’t function properly or are closed. They should be reopened,” said Harsh Pandey, a first-year BCom student of Motilal Nehru College.

A second-year BA Hindi (Honours) student at Hansraj College said students called for a more accessible and student-friendly administration.

“Students come from different backgrounds, and some take time to understand the systems here, so the administration should be more accessible. Students often get caught up in paperwork and administrative procedures even for issues such as medical leave,” the student said.

Kriti Kumar, a second-year student at Ramjas College, said, “The cost of studying in DU is no longer limited to fees. Rent, food, transport and other expenses add up quickly. We want the DUSU to take up the everyday financial pressures faced by students, especially those who come to Delhi from other states.” She said metro concession has featured in student organisations’ manifestos for years and should now be properly addressed. Students also sought measures to ease the financial burden on those coming to Delhi from other states and improve basic campus facilities.

A total of 1,000 electronic voting machines (EVMs) have been deployed for the elections. Of these, 960 will be used for polling, while 40 have been kept in reserve, according to university officials.

Chief Election Officer Raj Kishore Sharma said 12 control rooms would remain operational during polling and technical experts would be available to address any malfunction.

“Once polling concludes, the EVMs will be securely transported by police to the Multipurpose Hall of the University Sports Stadium in North Campus. The machines will be opened at the time of counting on Saturday,” Sharma said. Vote counting is scheduled for Saturday. PTI SHB AHD MSJ ASD ASD