University of Delhi (DU) is expected to announce the results for the Delhi University Students' Union elections on November 21, 2024. The results were originally scheduled to be released immediately after the elections, however the result announcement was stayed by the High Court after the election resulted in widespread defacement of public spaces by campaign materials. The elections were held on September 27, 2024.
The Delhi High Court took cognizance of the matter and stayed the results until all defacement issues were addressed. The court lifted the stay on the result announcement on Monday allowing the counting to begin and announce the results on or before November 26.
The Delhi University elections this year saw the lowest turnout in at least 10 years with only 51,379 students casting their votes of the total 1.45 lakh eligible voters.
An official from the university noted that the counting of votes for both the central panel and college representatives will begin at 8:30 am on November 21 at the DU Conference Centre. The counting of votes will be held in the presence of an Election Commission team.
News agency PTI quoted an official from the university as saying, "Preparations are underway for the November 21 counting. Most of the cleaning work has already been completed. The EVMs and ballot papers will be opened in the presence of the Election Commission's team to maintain transparency."
Voting for DUSU's central panel, which includes the posts of president, vice president, secretary, and joint secretary, was conducted using EVMs. The university used ballot papers for electing college representatives.
In order to ensure the safety and security of the votes, Delhi University stored the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in a strong room at the examination department, monitored around the clock by a police team. The ballot boxes were kept safe in individual colleges.
(With inputs from PTI)