The road near the Faculty of Law and Gate No. 4 remained blocked for much of the main college hours on Tuesday as a convoy of around 15–20 cars carrying DUSU candidates and their supporters moved through North Campus.Supporters raised slogans in favour of their candidates, while campaign pamphlets were thrown into the air and scattered along the road.
The scenes came just three days before the September 18 DUSU elections and despite stricter rules governing campaigning this year.
The election rush was particularly visible on one of the busy stretches of North Campus, with the convoy occupying the road as students and other commuters made their way through the area.
The ground scenes offered a sharp contrast to the restrictions imposed on electioneering following directions against defacement and excessive campaigning.
While the scale of campaigning may be lower than previous years, the familiar sights of car rallies, slogan shouting supporters and campaign material on the roads have not disappeared.
The Delhi High Court’s recent order allowing five candidates to contest the DUSU elections despite objections to their nominations has added another layer to this year’s election season. While allowing the candidates to contest, the court observed that colleges should adopt a “large-hearted” approach while dealing with student candidates.
For students, however, the more visible test of the new rules is what they encounter on the campus roads.
“Honestly, I haven’t seen much of a difference this year. There are strict rules, but the roads are still crowded with candidates and their supporters campaigning. You can still see rallies and pamphlets on the roads, so it feels quite similar to previous elections,” said a second year Hindu College student, requesting anonymity.
Another second year student of Hindu College said the restrictions had created expectations of a more controlled campaign. “I expected things to be more controlled this year because of all the restrictions, but that doesn’t really seem to be the case. There are still rallies on the roads and pamphlets lying around. From a student’s point of view, not much seems to have changed,” the student said.
The university, however, said it would act on complaints of violations. Chief Election Officer Prof Raj Kishor Sharma said, “If any complaint is received in this regard, we will take strict action against the individual concerned. We are constantly working to improve the process every year.”
With campaigning entering its final stretch, the scenes around North Campus suggest that while DUSU campaigning may be under tighter rules this year, the election frenzy, from car rallies and slogan shouting supporters to pamphlets on the roads, remains very much visible.
