Campaigning over, stage set for first DUSU polls in 4 years

Students of Delhi University (DU) will on Friday vote for a students' union after a four-year gap, with four posts -president, vice president, secretary, and joint secretary-up for grabs. Campaigning ended on Thursday morning

- Ashna Butani

Votes for the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) will be cast on electronic voting machines (EVMs) across all of the institution's 72 colleges. The votes will be counted on September 23 at the Conference Hall in North Campus.

Students will on Friday also vote for internal student unions and central councillors, though these polls will be conducted using paper ballots.

This year, the university increased the upper age limit for candidates from 22 to 25 for undergraduate students, and from 25 to 28 for postgraduate students. More than 100,000 students are eligible to vote for the polls, though the elections have traditionally seen low turnouts. During the last DUSU polls, held in 2019, only 39.9% students cast their vote.

Twenty-four candidates are in the fray for the four posts. Of these, eight will vie for the president's post.

After a four-year halt to elections, DU blustered with political action over the past month or so, as groups tried to swing votes in their favour. Most DU students were, because of the halt, unfamiliar with the election process and the build-up, complicating the task for political outfits.

Nearly every wall and gate across colleges and campuses was plastered with posters. Banners were also hung off several key flyovers in the city.