Amid flashy campaigns, students cite lack of meaningful engagement
As the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections approach, the university’s North and South campuses are buzzing with campaign rallies, posters and banners. Student unions are intensifying their efforts to woo voters with flashy displays, even throwing campaign flashcards into the air.
‘it’s All about money, power’
Campaigning has changed over time. It’s all about banners and clashes, with candidates focused more on politics than student issues. The nominees are not chosen based on the work they want to do but on their money and power. — Vimlesh Tripathi, MA student
Security has also been tightened across campus, with the police beefing up presence to prevent any potential clashes between rival student groups.
Despite heavy campaigning, many students have expressed growing disillusionment with the process, citing a lack of meaningful engagement between candidates and the student body. Several students voiced concerns over the ineffectiveness of the election campaign, with many stating that they feel disconnected from the candidates, while first-year students appear to be the primary target of superficial campaign tactics.
“Whenever the rallies pass by a college gate, the authorities lock it up, including the faculty gates, to ensure that no one crosses the premises. This causes major inconvenience for us. If the rally goes on for 10 minutes, we are stuck and get late for our classes,” said Ritika, a student from the Arts Faculty. “This disruption is one of the reasons why I have never voted and I am not interested in voting for the DUSU elections,” she added.
Aakansha, another student from the arts faculty, shared her indifference towards the elections. “I am not interested in all this college politics. Their campaigning revolves around just wasting paper. No one is even interested in looking at the pamphlets — they just walk over them.”
Mehak, a student from Kirori Mal College, expressed concern over how the loud and disruptive rallies interfere with her studies. “The campaigning affects our studies since they make so much noise. While I do want to vote, I don’t feel connected to any student union yet — they all scream politics. My concerns are more about campus cleanliness, canteen food and the overall facilities provided,” she said.
Students have also pointed to a significant disconnect between the candidates and the wider student body, with many alleging that campaigners rely heavily on money and muscle power to influence voters, particularly targeting first-year students who are still new to campus life.
“There is no connection with the candidates. All these student unions do is litter the roads and waste tonnes of money. They just released their manifesto but don’t talk about it — they just focus on showcasing their money and muscle power. That disconnect is the reason I won’t be voting,” said Himanshu, a student from the Department of Library and Information Science.
Vimlesh Tripathi, an MA student in Sanskrit, echoed similar sentiments, criticising the growing superficiality of election campaigns. “The campaigning has changed over time. It’s all about banners and clashes, with candidates focused more on politics than student issues.
The nominees are not chosen based on the work they want to do but on their money and power. They don’t want to connect with students anymore. Instead, they try to lure first-year students with movie tickets, canteen tokens and trips,” he said.
As the DUSU elections approach on September 27, many first-year students will have just about wrapped up their first month on campus, with classes having only started on August 29. This short window has sparked concerns that campaigners may be exploiting the students’ limited exposure to the university environment.
