DUSU polling largely smooth in first phase, principals report no major incidents

Polling for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections was largely smooth during the first phase on Friday, with several college principals reporting no major untoward incidents on their campuses.

Voting for students attending day classes began at 8:30 am and continued until 1:30 pm, while polling for evening classes will be held from 3 pm to 7:30 pm.

Ramjas College principal Ajay Arora said polling started on time and, though the pace was slow in the morning, it picked up later in the day. “The first phase of polling started on time. It was a little slow in the morning, but it picked up towards the afternoon,” Arora said.

He said the election process at the college ran smoothly, without any ruckus.

At Sri Venkateswara College, principal Vajala Ravi said 2,310 of the 4,666 eligible voters had cast their votes by 1:30 pm, taking the turnout to nearly 50 per cent. Officials at Miranda House also confirmed that polling was conducted smoothly, with no clashes reported in or around the college. The voting turnout was around 30 per cent till 1 pm, they said.

Kirori Mal College principal Dinesh Khattar also described the polling process as smooth.

The DUSU election has seen a closely watched contest among the ABVP, Congress-affiliated NSUI and the AISA-SFI alliance for the four central panel posts — president, vice-president, secretary and joint secretary.

Student welfare, campus infrastructure, hostel accommodation and safety have emerged as key campaign issues, particularly after the collapse of a five-storey PG building in Satya Niketan earlier this month that killed seven people, including students.

A total of 1,000 electronic voting machines (EVMs) have been deployed for the elections; 960 are being used for polling, and 40 are kept in reserve, according to university officials.

Chief Election Officer Raj Kishore Sharma said 12 control rooms were operational during polling and technical experts were available to address any malfunction.

After polling concludes, police will transport the EVMs under security to the Multipurpose Hall of the University Sports Stadium in North Campus, where they will be opened for counting on Saturday.

Vote counting is scheduled for September 19. The university has also restricted vehicular movement on key stretches, including Chhatra Marg, Probyn Road and University Road, due to the election process.

The restrictions will remain in force on Friday and Saturday until the results are declared, according to a university advisory.