Students' Politics

The much awaited Delhi University Students’ Union Elections (for Delhi University students, of course) are over and the results are out as well. Last year’s results have almost repeated itself, just that the vice-president’s post managed to hop from the grasp of National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) to Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad’s (ABVP). Rest three posts were secured by NSUI. Reasons for ABVP’s debacle and NSUI’s thumping victory are not too tough to predict---The support of in-power Congress government (home and state) led by Sheila Dixit to NSUI respectively played massive and in fact, critical role in their overwhelming success. The nod of Sheila Dixit to enhance accident insurance for all the DU students and better residing facilities for the students of north-west campus, which forms a major vote bank, ensured NSUI’s victory.

On the other hand, BJP-RSS-fed-ABVP never looked like winning any post at all. The only consolation they received was a nail-biting finish in an eventual triumph in the tussle for vice-presidency post---that too by a whisker; a margin of mere 35 votes. How close the decision for this post was can be rendered by the fact that as many as 85,000 students study in DU.

The seriousness of this Delhi University can be felt by the involvement of the biggies of the political parties like BJP and Congress. Forsooth, the ruling party in the centre has always played pivotal role in DU elections. Candidates for the posts are wisely chosen keeping the castes of the candidates in mind, each and every movement of the opposition activists are closely monitored, piles of money flow for securing every vote, foul games are played, and then after careful planning by the leading names in Indian politics, the activists campaign (in form of their candidates’ posters being pasted on every bus stop, candidates making personal visits to students who can influence other students, forcing and in some cases, bribing students) for their respective candidates to transform all the sweat, used (and misused) money into eventual success. DU forms a massive students’ community with a population of 85,000 which, by any standards, is a colossal number. Even 40% polling attendance this year meant 34,000 votes were cast!!

The victory of Congress-backed NSUI somehow corroborates the fact that anti-reservation movement has failed to hit DU. The mass movement is, in fact, restricted to professional courses like medicine and engineering. The chief Congress players of this election are tirelessly boasting that the victory of Congress-backed candidates has confirmed that students are glad with the decision of the government to move on with the quota system. They see as a major triumph among the students’ community. Rubbish, all rubbish!!!

The involvement of the political parties substantiates, on the first hand, that foul games would be played and unfortunately, the worst-hit people in this diplomatic game are students. A very small community of students is actually interested in what happens during these elections. The issues handled by these winning candidates are too superficial to carry on elections on such a mass scale. Electric voting machines are installed which have been introduced in our Lok Sabha elections only a couple of years ago. Yes, the students are surely given the right to choose their candidates but what these candidates are supposed to do is still enigmatic. College-bands is a usual affair during election days. Students are virtually forced, in one way or the other (read: emotionally and financially), to vote for a particular candidate. Some succumb to the pressure and eventually play the role of puppets in the hands of the activists. Most of the students who avidly take part in these elections are not really students but stay in colleges just for these election-seasons. Not surprisingly, the true winners of these elections are the political parties. It is their way of rendering who holds the key of youth-power in Delhi. Certainly a very sorry state for the Delhi University students.