The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) traded allegations of violence against their members on Wednesday as campaigning for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections came to an end ahead of polling on September 18. The ABVP alleged that one of its members was subjected to a “life-threatening attack” outside Law Centre-1 on the university campus by people associated with the Congress, Indian Youth Congress and NSUI. The NSUI separately alleged that one of its tribal student members was attacked outside Motilal Nehru College by people linked to the ABVP. The allegations from both organisations could not be independently verified.
ABVP alleges attack
ABVP Delhi state secretary Sarthak Sharma condemned the alleged incident outside Law Centre-1 and demanded action against those responsible as well as adequate security for students. He alleged that external political workers were being brought onto the campus to interfere with the election process, maintaining that violence and disorder had no place in the university. In a separate statement, the organisation claimed that non-student political workers associated with the Congress, IYC and Congress Seva Dal had participated in campaigning for the NSUI panel. It also raised objections to alleged campaigning inside classrooms and claimed attempts were being made to influence students through money power, demanding an impartial investigation.
NSUI counters charge
The NSUI, meanwhile, accused ABVP-linked members of attacking a tribal student associated with the organisation outside Motilal Nehru College and demanded an investigation. NSUI national media in-charge Ravi Hanuman Pandey said every student, irrespective of caste, community or background, was entitled to dignity and security on the university campus. The organisation described the alleged incident as an attack on an individual student as well as on the principles of social justice and constitutional equality. The ABVP and NSUI accusations added to tensions on the final day of campaigning for one of the country’s most closely watched university elections.
Three-way contest
The ABVP has fielded Yash Dabas for DUSU president, while the NSUI has nominated Vijay Shankar Meena. The AISA-SFI alliance has fielded Ananya Raturi for the top post. For the remaining central panel positions, the ABVP has nominated Ishu Maurya for vice-president, Riya Chhawdi for secretary and Lakshya Raj Singh for joint secretary. The NSUI panel comprises Vir Chatrath for vice-president, Namrata Chaudhary for secretary and Gopal Choudhary for joint secretary.
Voting on September 18
Campaigning formally concluded on Wednesday, bringing an end to days of rallies, outreach programmes and competing promises across Delhi University colleges. Student housing, campus safety, academic reforms and university facilities have figured prominently in the campaign. Polling for the DUSU elections will take place on September 18, while counting of votes is scheduled for September 19.