DUSU poll campaigns shift online amid stringent regulations

With defacement, roadshows, the use of loudspeakers, and blowing pamphlets in the air being strictly prohibited for Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) elections, student organisations are now focusing more on social media for campaigning, which includes collecting online feedback and posting reels.

Harsh Attri, national media convener for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), said, “This year, there will be a shift in campaigning methods. Our campaigning will include distribution of handmade posters and promotion through social media.”

Last year, in response to the widespread defacement of public property during the DUSU elections campaigning, the Delhi High Court ruled that the election results could only be announced once the damaged properties had been restored.

Earlier this week, the High Court clarified that students contesting for the elections are not required to deposit ₹1 lakh as a bond. This requirement, imposed by the university to prevent defacement, had led to widespread protests.

Mr. Attri said the ABVP is collecting students’ feedback for its election manifesto through Google forms, and the membership drive is now online. “We are disseminating campaign-related information via WhatsApp too,” he added.

This year, the university has raised the maximum limit of candidates’ election expenditure from ₹5,000 to ₹25,000, aiming to clean the “money and muscle” image associated with DUSU polls. However, student organisations are accusing each other of hiring agencies for their social media campaign.

Rejecting the allegations, Mr. Attri stated that the ABVP’s social media is managed solely by volunteers.

Ravi Pandey, who heads the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) media department, said that their social media management is also in the hands of volunteers.

“Students are relating to our campaign, which is mostly on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter,” he added.

Many potential candidates have been trying reels to gain publicity. The incumbent DUSU president, Ronal Khatri, had maintained an online presence throughout the year, whether it was for smearing cow dung on a college principal’s office walls or breaking a glass window during a protest.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s recently rebranded and relaunched student wing, the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP), has also launched a social media campaign. ASAP also maintained that volunteers manage its social media accounts.

Meanwhile, Left organisations – the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students’ Association (AISA) – allied for the DUSU polls earlier in the week. Prasenjeet, national general secretary of AISA, said, “We have been distributing handmade pamphlets and campaigning via social media. We have not created separate handles but are making collaborative posts so that we can reach a larger audience.”