File Photo: Students wait to cast their votes in DUSU election. (Press Trust of India)
Thousands of students voted today to elect new office bearers of the Delhi University Students Union as well as in their respective colleges.
Hitherto, the NSUI and the ABVP, the student wings of the Congress and the BJP, respectively, used to dominate the student polls in Delhi University. But this year, the AAP's students wing, Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), has changed the political equation in the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections.
CYSS claimed that they were in a strong position. The AAP organised a star-studded rock concert on September 1 at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium where Delhi Chief Minsister Kejriwal had candidly urged the Delhi University students to support CYSS for its "honest and clean" politics.
"Arvind Kejriwal's wave is sweeping across the campus. He is known for his clean image and honest politics. We are sure of a glorious start in student politics," CYSS vice-president Anmol Panwar told IANS.
There are a total of 1,35,298 voters in Delhi University. Voting for the DUSU polls was scheduled in two phases at 50 polling centres set up at 42 colleges and eight departments in the varsity.
The first phase which began at 8.30 a.m. went off peacefully and polling is underway for the second phase which started at 3 p.m, the Chief Election Officer for DUSU polls, DS Rawat said.
Mr Rawat further said that the exact voting percentage of the first phase was being compiled.
"We had deployed 23 observers to keep a tab on the elections. Videography of the DUSU polls is being done and CCTV cameras have also been set up at the polling centres to conduct the elections transparently," Rawat said.
The agents of different student outfits, backed by various political parties, tried their level best to woo the students and persuade them to vote for their candidates.
A total of 35 candidates are in the fray for the four posts, including president, vice-president, secretary and joint secretary, of DUSU office-bearers. While nine of them are in the race for the post of DUSU president, eight are fighting for the vice-president's seat.