DU, JNU sets for student polls on Friday

After days of intense debate and persuasion, students in Delhi's two major Universities- DU and JNU-will cast their votes on Friday to seal the fate of candidates who are testing electoral waters.

While the face-off in Delhi University is primarily between the NSUI and ABVP -- the student-wings of Congress and BJP, Jawaharlal Nehru University presents a more interesting case of Left versus Left and the others.
 

In Delhi University, a total of 38 candidates from different political affiliations are in fray for four posts of President, Vice-President, Secretary and Joint-Secretary, while as many as 30 candidates are contesting for the main panel posts of JNU.

In the politically active campus of JNU, the pre-election sentiment touched its crescendo last night when the candidates turned up for the presidential debate.

Much drama was witnessed during the debate as an independent candidate made certain 'anti-Muslim' remarks during his speech that also criticised the controversial 'beef and pork' food festival that is being hosted at the campus.

The candidate, Sandeep Singh, was warned several times during the debate as he lashed out at the Left and also spoke against reservation.

His speech was disrupted after NSUI activists rose up to the dais and asked him to apologise. The debate was restored after Sandeep said he did not intend to hurt sentiments.

Every issue be it the Maoist problem, tribal rights, corruption, lack of hostels and scholarships in the campus are being discussed, with several opposition candidates flaying the AISA-led outgoing panel for failing to provide any results.

"This has been the most unsuccessful union in the history of JNU," NSUI's presidential candidate Iqbal Singh said.

Extreme Left group AISA's candidates, meanwhile, said they had initiated action on several fronts and want another mandate to finish their job.

The break up of the CPI-M's student wing SFI is another issue that is the talking point in the election. In fact, one of the expelled members of SFI, V Lenin Kumar, is now the presidential candidate of the rebel outfit SFI-JNU.

SFI had disbanded its JNU unit after it took an opposing stand to its parent party over support to Pranab Mukherjee's presidential candidature.

"I believe this is going to be a major issue in the election," says Roshan Kishore, the expelled former president of the unit.
 

Meanwhile, the ABVP in Delhi University has sought to corner the NSUI by criticising the Congress-led state and central governments and raising an anti-corruption plank.

ABVP's presidential candidate Ankit Dhananjay Chaudhary also came down heavily on the Left and appealed to students to stop the increasing influence of leftist organisations on the campus.

Taking cue from the 'beef and pork' controversy in JNU, he said student elections were a chance "to kick out the organisations who support serving of beef so publicly in JNU".

The NSUI, meanwhile, has sought to target ABVP over the killing of one of its activists allegedly by ABVP members in Madhya Pradesh on September 8.

NSUI national president Rohit Chaudhary met the Minister of State for Home Affairs Jitendra Singh and demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident in the BJP-ruled state.

Besides the usual issues of opening of more colleges, starting of evening classes in more colleges, and free bus passes and discount in Metro fares, topical issues like concerns of sportspersons and students from the Northeast found their way in the election manifestos of the two main student groups this year.