With promises of working towards women’s safety, affordable transportation and fighting inequality, prominent students’ groups — ABVP, NSUI and AISA — declared their final panel for the upcoming Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, on Thursday.
Among candidates for the post of president fielded by the ABVP, which was in power in the previous academic year, is Akshit Dhaiya, a sportsperson and a first-year student at the Faculty of Law. Mr. Dhaiya said he hopes to cultivate an environment to encourage more university students to win medals at international competitions, such as the Olympics. The group’s candidates hope to form a “trustworthy, accountable and accessible” student’s union that would work towards “inclusive activism” and making the campus safer for women.
The party has also fielded Yogit Rathe, who was a leader of the Ramjas students’ union when there was an incident of violence on the campus in 2017. Commenting on that incident, he said that the ABVP did not believe in violence but if he wins-, he would work towards removing anti-national elements from the North Campus.
ABVP has fielded Pradeep Tanwar a first-year MA (Hindi) student to the post of vice-president and Shiangi Kharwal, a first-year student in MA (Buddhist Studies) for the post of joint secretary.
The NSUI, which hopes to “fight all types of inequality on campus”, has fielded a woman candidate after a long time, party leaders said. Chetna Tyagi (19), a third-year BA student at Shaheed Bhagath Singh College is also the youngest presidential candidate this year. Ms. Tyagi said she would work towards ensuring that the Internal Complaints Committees are made functional in all colleges and ensuring safety and equal rights for women in hostels. Towards ensuring representation, party leaders said, they have also fielded Ankit Bharti for the post of vice-president who said he would fight discrimination against Dalit students in the university. “Dalits do not feel safe on campus,” said Mr. Bharti.
For the post of secretary, the NSUI has fielded Ashish Lamba, a final-year law student and a hockey player. And for the post of joint secretary it has fielded Abhishek Chaprana, also a student of MA (Buddhist Studies).
Left-wing group AISA, which is campaigning primarily over the provision of concessional metro passes for students, has fielded Damini Kain, an MA (Political Science) student at Hindu College. Ms. Kain has actively participated in various movements to do with social and gender justice, the group said.
For the post of vice-president, AISA has put forward Aftab (21) hailing from Lucknow, another student of MA (Buddhist Studies). Apart from these students, the group has fielded Vikash, an MA (Hindi) student who has been with the AISA for the last three years, for the post of secretary. And for the post of joint secretary, it has fielded the youngest candidate of the lot, a first-year student from Miranda House, Chetna.
