With the Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) elections just a week away; all the student political parties can be seen campaigning to promote their manifesto, and are involved in massive PR exercises.
The biggest talk of the town is AAP’s student wing Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) with its clean politics approach and DU Rock concerts. The party has done away with the traditional manifesto, calling it redundant, and can be seen promoting healthy and necessary politics and involvement of youth for building a strong nation. CYSS is focusing on key issues like free Wi-fi and women’s security. It plans to initiate free Wi-fi facility starting from the colleges and then spreading to the entire city. It’s active promotion in the form of swine flu campaign, DU Rocks concert and ‘Selfie with leaders’ has created quite a buzz. The party shall also launch an Education loan Scheme of upto Rs. 10 lakhs for students, three days before the DUSU elections under the name of late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. It is believed by many, that CYSS shall eat into the vote bank of major players ABVP and NSUI.
On the contrary Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) seems undeterred by the new entrant as it strongly believes that it shall re-emerge as the winner in the DUSU 2015 elections. ABVP has appointed over 600 “vistaraks” (full-time volunteers), on the lines of the RSS, to manage and supervise the campaign in more than 50 DU colleges. A senior ABVP leader said that their party’s strength has increased considerably after its major success in the recent anti-FYUP (Four Year Undergraduate Programme) movement in the university. Hence, they will be working on the road-map set by the RSS to organize its campaign. “Earlier we would have only around 100-150 volunteers who would work round-the-clock during the election period. However, owing to the anti-FYUP movement we have major student support with us and hence plan to fight the polls with even better organisational setup. Hence the Vistaraks shall oversee the campaign in individual colleges. They are meeting groups of students in every college to explain the party’s agenda and discuss issues on the ground,” said the student leader. They are focusing on forcing the Delhi government to implement Room-Rent Control Act, to control the exorbitant rent charged from students. Secure atmosphere for students from north-east with easy hostels availability especially to the female students is another issue they are pursuing relentlessly. Other issues such as dearth of teaching as well as non-teaching staff is on their list.
ABVP strongly believes that it shall re-emerge as the winner in the DUSU 2015 elections (Image Source: www.firstpost.com)
The Congress’ student wing National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), is keen to bank upon the voters against Choice Based Credit System (CBCS). The party has claimed CBCS to be prohibitive to the student’s overall development and against independence of education in the university. NSUI recently also held a campaign at the campus against the same while promoting its contesting students. Some of the NSUI leaders have also launched hunger strike against CBCS on 1st September . NSUI volunteers also staged a street play against the CBCS in the campus. Terming the actions of ABVP against the freedom of expression and choice of an individual the party has decided to organize a street play competition in Delhi University on the theme of ‘Moral Policing’ and ‘Freedom of Expression’ inviting students and theater societies of all the colleges in Delhi to participate. The Press Release reads, “Together let’s fight the forces that try to dictate terms to us and take away our freedom.”
New entrants like Chanakya Parishad, will also contest the DUSU polls this year. While claiming to not belong to any political party, most of its founding members are former NSUI and Youth Congress student leaders, it has been learnt. Besides, Leftist student wings including the All India Students Association (AISA), which participated in the anti-FYUP struggle, are also expected to divide the vote share significantly this year.