After last year’s poll drama, Delhi University deploys observers in colleges

“We will be deputing one observer and one technical staff at all 52 colleges which are going to vote. This is just a precautionary measure. There is always 0.01 % chance that something can go wrong, so someone should be there. It happens sometimes in parliamentary and assembly elections,” said Prasad.

The observers would be faculty members, Prasad added.

Last year, for the first time, counting was suspended as the Congress’s National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) alleged that one of the EVMs was showing a ballot number which had no candidate.

Some violence had ensued when members of the NSUI and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) were not allowed to leave the counting centre, following which counting was suspended, and began only at 5:30 pm.

After the results were declared, ABVP won the posts of president, vice-president and joint secretary while the NSUI won the post of general secretary.

Elections today will see the ABVP and NSUI going head to head on all four seats. For the post of president, Akshit Dahiya is up against NSUI’s Chetna Tyagi.

The All India Students’ Association (AISA) is the third player in the game. Last year, they had allied with the Aam Aadmi Party’s Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS). This year, however, they are fighting it out alone.

CYSS, which has said they will not contest until DU polls are held on paper ballot, have asked students to boycott the polls. Meanwhile, ABVP has appealed to students not to waste votes by pressing the NOTA button.

Counting for the DUSU polls will be held Friday.