Polling in two phases on Friday at Delhi University;140K students eligible to vote

Students of Delhi University will be able to cast their votes in Friday’s Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections in two phases – the first, for students enrolled in day classes between 8.30am and 1pm, and the second, for those in evening classes between 3pm to 7pm.
University officials familiar with the poll preparations said that security across the varsity has been increased in view of the elections and that vehicles will be barred from plying on Chhatra Marg in the north campus, through Friday.
“Flying squads have been formed to maintain vigilance across the campuses. Police will provide high security for the elections, but DU has also prepared its own teams for security. Close-circuit cameras will also be utilised to maintain vigilance,” the official said, stating only students with valid ID cards will be allowed to vote.
All first year students eligible to vote, but who have so far not been issued a valid college ID will be allowed to vote if they produce either a voter ID, Aadhaar card, PAN card, or a driving licence, officials said.
“Second and third year students will only be allowed to vote if they are able to produce a valid college identity card,” the official said.
“We will not allow any vehicles on Chhatra Marg, barring those involved on election duty,” the official, who asked not to be identified, added.
Officials said that around 140,000 students will be eligible to vote on Friday, with 52 polling centres set up across DU’s north and south campuses. Over 600 security personnel, comprising of the Delhi Police, paramilitary staff and university officials will be deployed during voting.
All classes across colleges are cancelled on Friday, the university said.
In last year’s elections, the BJP-backed Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) won three out of the four central panel posts – securing the posts of president, secretary, and joint secretary. Meanwhile, the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) won the election for the post of the vice-president.
The two parties are again the main contenders for these central panel posts.
The ABVP has chosen 24-year-old Rishab Choudhary as its presidential face; and 24-year-old Bhanu Pratap Singh from Law Centre-1 as its vice-presidential candidate. Mitravinda Karanwal (20), a History Hons student from Laxmi Bai College is its secretary face and for joint secretary, it has 23-year-old Aman Kapasiya.
NSUI’s presidential face is 23-year-old Ronak Khatri, who is pursuing LLB from Law Centre; Yash Nandal from the Department of Buddhist studies as vice president; 19-year-old Namrata Jeph Meena from Kirori Mal College for the secretary post and 24-year-old Lokesh Chaudhary for joint secretary.
Meanwhile, Left-wing student groups Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students’ Association (AISA) have allied, with two candidates from both parties contesting two posts each. This includes AISA’s Saavy Gupta, a Law Centre student. AISA’s Ayush Mondal is vying for vice president. SFI’s Sneha Aggarwal and Anamika are meanwhile fighting for secretary and joint secretary posts.